Bengal govt declares school, college holidays from Monday as heatwave continues
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also urged private institutions to order vacation during this period
All State-run schools, colleges and universities of West Bengal, except those in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts in the hilly region, will be closed for a week from April 17 in view of the ongoing heat wave, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government said on Sunday.
“We are urging private institutions to order vacation during this period as well,” chief minister Mamata Banerjee told a Bengali news channel.
The government earlier said that summer vacation in schools would start from May 2 instead of end-May.
On April 13, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) sounded a heatwave warning in most parts of the south Bengal districts, including Kolkata metropolitan area, as the temperature crossed 40 degree centigrade in most areas.
The temperature may rise by one to two degrees more till April 17, Sanjib Bandopadhyay, director of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata, said earlier this week. There is no possibility of rainfall till April 17, he said.
On Saturday, Kolkata recorded a highest temperature of 39.2 degree centigrade, which was four degrees above normal, according to IMD records. The maximum relative humidity in the Bengal capital was 73.
Asansol in West Burdwan district and Santiniketan in Birbhum district recorded highest temperatures of 41.7 and 40.9 degrees centigrade respectively on Saturday.
