Parts of West Bengal reeled under an intense heatwave while the mercury soared to 40 degree Celsius in the state capital, the meteorological department said here on Thursday.
"In several Bengal districts such as Burdwan, Behrampur, West Midnapore, the temperature crossed 40 degrees Celsius during the day. Bankura witnessed a heatwave. In Kolkata, the temperature stood at 40.1 degree Celsius," an official told IANS.
People huddled under umbrellas and took shelter in roadside shops and bus stands to evade the heat and humidity.
Fruit juice kiosks and green coconut (daab) sellers made good sales while tea sellers had a hard time peddling their hot drinks.
Air conditioned buses were packed to capacity and cab aggregators were in demand for air conditioned cabs.
"Compared to last year, the high heat situation has set in early this year," the official added.
