Bhubaneswar: With the mercury hovering around 40 degree Celsius at several places, schools in Odisha started morning shifts on Monday.
Classes for IX and XI students will be held from 7 am to 9 am instead of 8.30 am to 10 am. Similarly, classes for X and XII have been rescheduled and will be conducted from 9 am to 1 pm instead of 11 am to 4 pm.
Usually, morning shifts in schools across the state start from April 1 every year. However, the state government directed the education department to start classes early from March 1 following a rise in temperature.
The state has been experiencing above 40 degree Celsius for the past five days. Angul was the hottest place in the country at 40.1 degree Celsius on Sunday. It is the highest temperature recorded in the town in the last 10 years. Bhubaneswar and Boudh at 40 degree Celsius came a close second. Bhubaneswar earlier held the hottest place tag for four consecutive days.
Baripada and Cuttack sizzled at 39.4 and 39.2 degree Celsius respectively.
According to IMD, mercury is likely to remain five degree Celsius above normal at some places during the next two days.
Those districts are Khurad (including Bhubaneswar), Cuttack, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Balasore, Angul and Mayurbhanj.
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