Cold wave claims 34 more in UP

Chilly winds that kept the minimum temperature between 2 and 5 degree Celsius have taken 34 more lives in Uttar Pradesh.

"This takes the overall toll on account of the prevailing cold spell in the state to 337," said a government official.

The dead included an undertrial in Lucknow's district jail. "Raju had been in the jail since December 13 and was suffering from endemic polio, for which he had been treated. His condition worsened on Sunday night, following which the jail doctor was called to provide treatment. Raju was found dead on examination," said a jail official.

However, sources said that the doctor turned up only on Monday morning and by then the prisoner had died.

'Inadequate woollen covering' is described as a major problem in most jails of the state.

A beggar was found dead outside a mosque in the walled city of Lucknow. "There is reason to believe that she died due to the cold," district magistrate Navneet Sehgal said.

"On our part, we have been distributing blankets and arranging bonfires on roadsides at different places in the city. But I don't deny that everyone is not able to avail of these arrangements," he added.

According to reports, 10 people died in Fatehpur district, followed by five in Kanpur, four each in Mahoba, Auraiya and Rae Bareli. Two deaths were reported from Kannauj and Baghpat, while one each was reported from Kushinagar, Bahraich and Lakhimpur-Kheri.

Local Met office director R K Verma said, "The weather is likely to remain unchanged over the next 48 hours."

Thick fog continued to envelop large parts of the state, leading to extremely poor visibility. Air, train and road transport services were badly affected.