Bhubaneswar, March 1: The state seems to be heading towards a gruelling summer as mercury continues to hover around 40 degrees Celsius. The capital recorded the highest day temperature of 40.1 degrees Celsius on February 26.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today reviewed the state’s preparedness to combat the possible heat wave condition in the coming days.

Odisha had witnessed one of the worst heat waves in its history in 1998, which had claimed 2,042 lives. Ever since, the heat wave casualties have come down drastically as the government machinery remains alert each summer.

The review of preparedness is undertaken towards end of March every year. “However, the sudden rise in temperature on February 26 has necessitated holding of the review meeting in advance,” special relief commissioner P.K. Mohapatra told The Telegraph.

Official sources said that though it was too early to predict the summer, the government was prepared to deal with any situation.

It was decided today that the standard preventive and precautionary measures would be initiated from March 31 if the temperature did not rise alarmingly. “If there is an abnormal rise in temperature in the coming days, the standard measures will be effective in advance,” said a senior official belonging to the disaster management department.

The chief minister asked the school and mass education department officials to reschedule the school and examination timings and ensure provision of adequate drinking water. Usually, the morning schools start from April 1. However, the summer vacation was preponed last year in view of the prevailing heat wave conditions.

The health department officials were directed to make special arrangements for treatment of sunstroke patients at different hospitals. A senior health department official said steps had been taken for opening of 1,035 extra beds at various hospitals across the state. Special wards would be opened with provision of ice, saline liquids and air conditioners.

Moreover, the transport department was instructed to restrict plying of buses during peak hours. The labour department officials were asked to reschedule the work hours. The work hours will be split into two parts (7am to 11am and 3pm to 6pm).

The Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority and the health department were directed to generate awareness among the public on the dos and don’ts during the heat wave.

In a related measure, the state government today declared 13,032 villages and 154 urban wards across 19 districts as drought-hit on the basis of crop-cutting report. Earlier, the government had released a list of drought- hit villages, basing on eye-estimation report.

The government also announced a package of assistance, including agriculture input subsidy to farmers, conversion of short-term agricultural loan to medium-term loan, waiver of water and land cess by 50 per cent and gratuitous relief to distressed persons for 60 days (1kg free rice per day per head for adults and 500 gram rice per day per head for children) for the drought-hit areas.

The package would be effective from today, said disaster management minister Surya Narayan Patro.