Jamshedpur, May 16: A silent fight is on in the city ? duty versus the killer heat.

With the mercury soaring mercilessly, those who spend most part of their duty hours on the streets have evolved unique ways to beat the heat.

?There is no way we can afford to miss our duty. But we manage to move to a shade for a couple of minutes. We usually drink cold water from roadside vendors or at times have a glass of sugarcane juice to keep it going,? says Syed Shoaib Akhtar, a traffic policeman posted at the Sakchi roundabout.

Shakti Mohapatra, barely out of his teens, waits for passers-by near the Bistupur police station selling mango juice. But he confesses of gulping down almost eight glasses of it during the day. ?If we don?t drink ourselves, we would not be able to survive a single day.?

K.C. Mahto, a postman with the head post office at Bistupur, says, ?Water is the best antidote for summer and I usually drink a glass of water every home I visit. Once I am back from work, I take a glass of bel sherbet.?

For Ritwik Roy, a sales agent with a reputed insurance company, an onion is sufficient. ?I carry a piece of onion in my pocket. It is a time-tested and proven remedy to beat the heat and save oneself from sunstroke. Since I am on the move for most of the time, I cover my face completely and wash it whenever I get a chance,? he says.

Even college principals have made rules lenient for teachers and made ample provision for students on campus. ?We do not have water coolers in the college but we got ten earthen pots and placed it at strategic points so that they have easy access to cold water,? says S.S. Razi, principal, Jamshedpur Workers College. He himself never fails to keep a bottle by his side and drinks loads of water before leaving home.

Following deaths of two persons due to sunstroke, the district health department has decided to issue public appeals. ?People should cover their faces while going out. Consumption of green coconut water, electrolyte and gruel (liquid food of oatmeal) should be on the list of all those who are constantly on the streets,? said civil surgeon Shiv Shankar Birua.