Intense cold wave conditions have claimed 26 lives in Uttar Pradesh during the past 24 hours.
Deaths have been reported from Jaunpur, Ballia, Mau, Azamgarh, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Bhadohi and Chandauli districts. Most of the victims were pavement dwellers and beggars.
The state government has released a sum of `6.66 crores to deal with the cold wave conditions. All district magistrates have been instructed to ensure bonfires in public places and temporary shelter homes for the homeless.
Lucknow, on Monday morning, recorded 5.5 degree Celsius which is three degrees below normal. Heavy fog engulfed the state capital, drastically reducing the visibility.
Agra also witnessed heavy fog as temperatures plummeted to 2.5° Celsius — the season’s lowest.
Traffic on the Agra-Delhi National Highway was disrupted because of low visibility.
Weather forecast predicts a prolonged cold spell this year making it one of the coldest Decembers of the decade.
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EC to I-T: report all cash flow via airports
New Delhi, Dec. 19: To check illegal spending in the upcoming Assembly elections in five states, the Election Commission (EC) has asked the income-tax department to report to it all instances of cash movement through airports.
The EC has asked the I-T department to establish Air Intelligence Units (AIUs) at all major airports in the poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa while similar units at major airports like Delhi and Mumbai have been asked to keep a strict vigil on cash movement to these states.
“The EC has asked us to report to them all cash movement, even if its is legal and accounted. The cash can be let off if it is legal but it is mandatory to report the incident. The AIUs have hence been asked to keep a close eye on cash going to poll bound states,” a senior I-T officer said.
Similar instructions have also been issued to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) which guards the airports.
The I-T department, according to sources, has been asked to install CCTV cameras at the AIUs in order to record the entire activity of interception to release or seizure of the cash at the airports.
The EC has recently met the top brass of the I-T department of these poll bound states. — PTI