Heat wave, high humidity continues in Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow, June 25 : Heat wave conditions and high humidity continued across Uttar Pradesh on Monday, according to the weather office.
The mercury in many parts of Bundelkhand touched up to 46 degrees Celsius in the past 48-hours and the humidity levels very high in many regions, including central Uttar Pradesh or the Avadh region.
In the last 24-hours, Allahabad was the hottest in the state recording a maximum of 44.7 degrees Celsius followed by Sultanpur with 42.6 degrees and Lucknow 42.3 degrees.
The minimum temperature in the state capital was 29.8 degrees celsius, which was three degrees above the normal temperature recorded in this season.
Owing to the extreme heat wave conditions and delayed monsoons, the district administration in Lucknow has already extended the summer vacations by two days.
According to Lucknow District Magistrate (DM) Kaushal Raj Sharma, the decision was taken in the interest of the school children.
The schools will open on July 2 for classes two to nine. But vacations will be extended if the mercury does not come down and rains do not take place.
Adding to the woes are the incessant power cuts in many places in the state. In the state capital, power outages peaked in the past 10 days.
Power minister Shrikant Sharma, despite assurances that power scenario will improve considerably, has failed miserably to do anything concrete, the opposition has said.
Subhash Kahsyap, a retired Army officer residing in Indiranagar, Lucknow, says he has not seen such a "poor power scenario" in the past 10 years.
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Test of democracy is king tolerates dissent, introspects: Nitin Gadkari
Pune, Sep 21: Union minister Nitin Gadkari has said the biggest test of democracy is that the ruler tolerates even the strongest opinion against him, and it leads to introspection.
Writers and intellectuals should express themselves fearlessly, the senior BJP leader said at a book release function held at MIT World Peace University here on Friday.
"The biggest test of democracy is that the king tolerates the strongest opinion against him and introspects over it," he said.
In India, there is no problem of difference of opinion but "there is a problem of lack of opinion," the Road Transport and Highways Minister said.
"We are neither rightist, nor leftist. We are opportunists. It is expected from writers and intellectuals that they express their opinions without any fear," he added.
Gadkari also said that as long as untouchability and notions of social inferiority and superiority persist, the work of nation-building can not be said to be complete.
