Rautahat/Bara, January 2

With the mercury dipping further in the Tarai, community schools in Rautahat and Bara districts have been closed for four days from today .

Life in mid-Tarai districts has been adversely affected due to the thick fog and cold wave.

District Education Officer Ram Binaya Singh said teaching-learning activities could not be run due to increasing cold in the district. DEO Singh further said the schools were closed for four days keeping in mind the possibility of school children falling sick due to the cold.

Due to the cold wave, service seekers have also stopped visiting government offices in Gaur and vehicular movement in the district has gone down significantly  in the last few days due to poor visibility.

Cold wave has badly affected the daily work in industries, government offices, schools and the transportation sector, among others. Children, elderly citizens, physically disabled and the poor are facing a hard time due to severe cold.

District Disaster Rescue Committee has taken initiatives to provide some relief to the locals by managing firewood to be burnt at major chowks. Chief District Officer Uddab Bahadur Thapa said warm clothes had also been distributed to Dalit and backward communities. The number of patients suffering from cold related diseases has also increased at the District Hospital.

District Education Officer Lal Babu Sah said the District Coordination Committee, Bara, had decided to close all governmental and private schools of the district for four days. DEO Sah further informed that private schools did not close due to the scheduled examinations.

However, with winter at its peak, the sale of warm clothes has steadily risen in the district.