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CHANDIGARH | REGION | NATION Snow, rain likely in HP
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Read under headings Max (maximum temperature), Min (minimum temperature), R (rainfall in past 24 hours) and TR (total rainfall):
New Delhi, January 12 Temperatures: Past 24 hours change: Minimum temperatures fell in east Rajasthan and east Uttar Pradesh and changed little elsewhere. These were appreciably below normal in Punjab, below normal in Haryana and east Rajasthan and normal in the rest of the region. The lowest temperature in the plains was 1.2oCelsius recorded at Amritsar . Forecast valid until the morning of January 14: Rain/snow is likely at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Weather will be mainly dry in the rest of the region. Forecast for Delhi and neighbourhood valid until the morning of January 14: Mainly clear sky. Mist in the morning. Minimum temperature will be around 6oCelsius. Farmers weather bulletin for Delhi forecast valid until the morning of January 14: Sky will be mainly clear. Outlook for the subsequent two days: No large change.
Less demand for winter delicacies Chandigarh, January 12 The manufacturers have attributed this fall in demand to the winter being less severe this time than last year. Officials in the Meteorological Department confirm that the chill factor has not been very predominant this year with minimum temperatures generally hovering around 4-5 degrees celsius in most parts of the state. Even the fog formation started as late as December 17 and has been fractured unlike last year when intense fog continued almost till Lohri. As a result the demand for these winter delicacies has gone down by 30-40 per cent as compared to last year.This has forced many manufacturers to stop production well before the actual closing time. The sales have dipped, particularly in Bathinda, Abohar, Malout, Chandigarh and Delhi, where the temperatures have been moderate. However, the sales have been somewhat better in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Hoshiarpur and a few other areas where wintery conditions prevailed. Manpreet of Gopal Sweets, Patiala, said:'' The start of the season was bad with low sale figures but the sales picked up 4-5 days before Lohri and will help us offset the losses suffered earlier''. President of the Gachak and Reori Manufacturers Association of Ludhiana Kuldip Dua also rues that change in the habits and lifestyles of people have caused a setback to their businesses. People now prefer to buy these products only 2-3 days prior to the festival and not much before. Manufacturers who were earlier working overtime to meet the demand of the neighbouring states like Rajasthan are now finding it hard to sell their stocks in the local markets and most of the units are lying closed. Big manufacturers in Bathinda when contacted said:'' It is not the spiralling price of sugar but the fall in the demand which has cast its shadow on our businesses.'' Since the dealers and shopkeepers are finding it difficult to sell their existing stocks, they do not place orders for more, as a result of which manufacturing has to be curtailed, said Mr Moti Jindal of Jai Shriram Halwai products, Bathinda. Nearly 50 per cent of the labour of the leading manufacturing houses is currently unemployed, he added. Few others in the trade have not been able to recover their costs also, which have been comparatively more due to an increase in the price of sugar and few other ingredients, including dry fruits. '' We are even prepared to sell them at the cost price to finish our stocks. But in the wake of growing competition from a host of other manufacturers who have sprung into business, there are no takers,'' said Harish, a sweetmaker, while adding that they would go waste after Lohri is over. While manufacturers having a registered licence cannot even sell it by lowering these rates, the small ones manage to give it directly to shopkeepers or sell it on their rehris at much cheaper rates than the retail market, he added. However, the demand for common man's dry fruit, ground nut, has gone up and so has the price. Mr Chander Mohan, a groundnut dealer in Bathinda, explained that lesser quantities of groundnut have come in the state from both Gujarat and Rajasthan since the former needed it at its own end to meet the export requirement of other countries for groundnut oil. Rajasthan too preferred to send it there for better and assured returns. Hence, the dealers in the state had to purchase the same from Rajasthan at comparatively higher rates. Cold wave sweeps North
Chandigarh, January 12 Mercury plunged three degrees below normal at Chandigarh as the city recorded a low of 3.6° C, the Meteorological Department here said. Large parts of Haryana experienced bone-chilling conditions and Karnal recorded its coldest night of the season so far at 2.8° C, which was down by four degrees. Ambala had a low of 4.1° C, down three degree and Hisar at a low of 6.3° C also recorded their lowest minimums so far. Piercing cold wave continued to sweep Amritsar and the border town recorded a low of 1.2° C, which was down three degrees. Ludhiana also reeled under severe cold as the industrial town witnessed its coldest night at 2.4° C, four below normal. Patiala recorded a low of 5.6° C. There was no respite in sight for the people in Kashmir and the temperature at Srinagar continued to be recorded below the freezing point at — 1.5° C. Jammu had a partially cloudy sky today and the low there was recorded two degrees below normal at 6.2° C. The minimum temperature in Shimla was 2.6° C, while Sundernagar (1.1°C) and Bhuntar (0.9° C) also continued to suffer under severe cold. A clear morning greeted Delhiites today after a day of heavy fog but minimum temperature dipped by over two degree Celsius.
— PTI |
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