Bhubaneswar, 19 March,
With Odisha reeling under heat wave conditions, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has asked officials concerned to ensure there were no power cuts during peak hours.

Majhi, while reviewing the state's preparedness to tackle heat wave, on Tuesday evening said that there should not be power outages from 11 am to 5 pm and from 9 pm to 6 am, an official release from the CMO said.

Majhi asked Energy department authorities to ensure there were no unannounced power cuts, and to remain alert during thunderstorms to prevent outages.

He also asked the officials concerned to issue a standard operating procedure (SOP) for conducting morning classes in schools and Anganwadi centres.

The review meeting was also virtually attended by district collectors and secretaries of Urban Development, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water, Water Resources and Health departments.

During the meeting, it was observed that summer has arrived early in the state this year, with several places recording temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in mid-March.

Majhi said that although the India Meteorological Department has forecast that the weather will change from this week, the state must remain prepared for any eventuality.

He asked district collectors to implement the SoPs to ensure there was no sunstroke casualty.

Noting that the availability of drinking water and shade were most important to prevent sunstrokes, the chief minister said arrangements should be made to provide shade at traffic stops in urban areas and bus stands in rural areas.

He stressed creating awareness about ways to reduce the impact of heat wave.