Perilous Times
19 December 2011 Last updated at 02:41 ET
India cold wave claims dozens of lives in north
Heavy fog and a cold wave have disrupted life across northern
India
BBC - At least 26 people have died in a cold wave sweeping through
northern India, the country's state broadcaster Doordarshan News
says.
The majority of deaths were in the state of Uttar Pradesh,
according to media reports.
Punjab and Haryana are among the other northern states badly hit.
Last week the country's Supreme Court ordered states to provide
adequate night shelters for the homeless during the winter.
"You should not allow even a single person to die this winter from
the freezing cold," the judges said. Most deaths take place among
the homeless and elderly.
Schools shut
Heavy fog and a cold wave have disrupted life across northern
India with temperatures dropping to 2.2C in Meerut in Uttar
Pradesh.
A number of flights were delayed by fog at Calcutta airport.
The capital Delhi is also in the throes of a cold snap, with
temperatures dipping to 5C and fog disrupting flight schedules.
Dozens of train services were also disrupted.
The cold wave has forced schools to shut in the state of Bihar
until 25 December, reports said.
Water supply pipes in Srinagar, the summer capital of
Indian-administered Kashmir, froze as temperatures plummeted to
2.8C.