Patna, Gaya Record Coldest Day on Thursday

Patna: January 11, 2003

Patna, along with Gaya, recorded the lowest temperature on Thursday in many years when the temperature at these two places dipped to 2.4° Celsius (36.3° Fahrenheit) sending people indoors while also forcing many small businesses to down their shutters.

The westerly wind, or "pachhia", as it is widely referred to, continued to freeze the human bones through out the state with no chance of any let up soon, the meteorologists in Patna said.

Northern parts of the state also remained under severe cold watch as more than three hundred people are believed to have died due to the severe weather conditions although the state government continues to downplay the numbers and puts it at 50.

In the meantime, the Rabri government issued directives to the district administrations to ensure blankets are given to all the poor people in the state. The Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Laloo Prasad Yadav personally handed out blankets to many economically under-privileged people in Patna and camps were installed at many places including the Gandhi Maidan, Mahendru, and Bankipore Post Office, among others, for such purpose.

The state administration also ordered turning many public schools and community halls into temporary shelters for those with no homes, Patna District Magistrate Deepak Prasad said.