Temp dips to 3 deg Cel in Nashik, grape growers light bonfires

The minimum temperature dipped to 3 degree Celsius in Nashik district of Maharashtra, forcing grape growers to set up bonfires to save the crop from damage, officials said on Sunday.

Two bodies of beggars were also found on the Godavari river's bank in the city on Saturday evening, with police suspecting that they died of severe cold conditions, an official at Panchavati police station said.

The unidentified bodies were later sent to the Civil Hospital for post mortem, he said.

A minimum temperature of 3 degree Celsius was recorded in Niphad tehsil, the agricultural belt in the district famous for grape production, at 7 am on Saturday, a MeT department official said.

Frozen dew drops on sugarcane, wheat and grapevines prompted the farmers to light bonfires to save the crops from perishing, an official at the district collectorate said.

As day temperatures also remained low and cold conditions persisted, people in the city were seen lighting bonfires to keep themselves warm.

Cold conditions are likely to continue in the district for next two to three days, the MeT official added.