This Maharashtra city imposes Section 144 amid heatwave alert, temperature exceeds 45 degrees Celsius

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Maharashtra, with temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data. The city of Akola, situated in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, registered a maximum temperature of 45.8 degrees Celsius on Friday and 45.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday, marking the highest temperatures of the season in the city this month, the weather office said.Collector Ajit Kumbhar on Saturday enforced Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) until May 31 due to possible heatwave conditions in the city, PTI reported.

The collector, in an official order, instructed establishments to provide sufficient drinking water and fans for workers. Additionally, the timings of private coaching classes need to be adjusted, ensuring they are not held in the afternoon.“It is necessary to provide fans, drinking water and sheds to the workers, change the timings of private coaching classes for students and implement other measures effectively so that the people do not suffer from heat stroke," the order read.

It further stated that workers engaged in the industrial sector should not work in the sun. “It will be the responsibility of the establishment's owner to prepare adequate sheds for protection from heat stroke, arrange fans, coolers or other devices, and provide adequate drinking water and first aid boxes," the collector said as quoted by PTI. “The private coaching classes should be conducted up to 10 am and after 5 pm.

If the classes are to be continued between 10 am and 5 pm, arrangements for fans and coolers should be made at the coaching centres," it added. Temperatures have steadily increased across various parts of the Vidarbha region over the past few days.