Bhubaneswar, April 10: The mercury touched 44.1°C on a scorcher of a Sunday to set a new record.
The maximum temperature of the day was not only the highest in the city in 50 years, but also the highest of the state for April.
The regional meteorological centre here said the temperature in the coastal districts was showing an increasing trend because of the absence of sea breeze and continuous flow of westerly wind through central parts of the country towards the state.
Met director Sarat Chandra Sahu told The Telegraph that the prevailing weather condition may continue for a period of one week or more because there are less chances of thunder squalls and high chances of a continuous flow of the westerly wind.
The high temperature increased the discomfort index and most people in the city, as well as across the state, preferred to stay indoors.
Those compelled to step out had a gruelling time with the administration doing little to make things somewhat comfortable for commuters.
In some areas, people had to wait in the open for buses since the administration is yet to fix the problem of defunct and non-functional bus bays. There are around 100 bus stops, but most of these do not function.
"The bus stops at major locations such as Satya Nagar, Kharavela Nagar and Saheed Nagar are of no use as not a single bus stops there. Waiting for buses in the scorching sun is horrific," said student Sanat Behera.
The increasing heatwave and sustained rise in day temperature also played spoilsport for those planning to make the most of a Sunday. However, footfall at the air-conditioned malls increased with people stepping out after sunset.
The new Bhubaneswar Central Mall and its adjacent Pantaloons was jam-packed with people, some for shopping and others just to enjoy the cool atmosphere. Traffic personnel had a hard time managing movement of vehicles near Vani Vihar Square.
"The malls have seen heavy rush in the past few weeks. It is usual for people to visit these malls in the weekend, but this time it seems different. I have been here for the past two years and have not seen such rush during this time of the year," said Prabhat Rout, a member of the parking staff.
Jigyansha Barik, a resident of Sambalpur, said: "I reached Bhubaneswar with my husband this morning and planned an outing to Puri. However, we had to cancel the plan owing to the unbearable heat. Later, we decided to do go for shopping in an air-conditioned mall."
The state government has already issued guidelines to ensure safety of the people in both urban and rural areas. Schools and offices are already starting early and closing before noon.
While the summer vacation of government schools is set to start from May 4, teachers and students want it advanced owing to the heat.
"It is high time for the state to reconsider the date of summer vacation," said Jayanti Mishra, a schoolteacher here.
The fear of sunstroke has became another problem for citizens with the special relief commissioner's office here receiving reports of 16 deaths allegedly due to sunstroke in the state since March 21.
In order to tackle sunstroke cases in the city, Capital Hospital here has opened a special 10-bed ward. Hospital superintendent Binod Mishra said they prepared and adequately equipped to tackle the extra rush of patients.
Mishra advised people not to remain under the sun, especially in the afternoon, unless it was very necessary and take enough water, cover the skin and eat food with high water content.
The sale of food items such as the traditional pakhala with curd, cold drinks, ice creams, sugarcane juice, watermelons and cucumber are gaining momentum across the city.
"Pakhala is the traditional and most preferred food in summer. The item has become so popular that even five-star hotels have started serving it to their customers. I have a small hotel and I serve it as well," said Jivan Mohanty, owner of a hotel at Bomikhal.
