Scorching heat snuffs out five lives in three days

PK Jaiswar

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Amritsar, June 11

With heatwave conditions continuing to grip the region for over the last one month, five persons had lost their lives in the last three days due to searing heat in the city, police reports revealed.

Destitute people are also part of society and the government and the district administration should come out with a plan to rehabilitate them. — Anil Vinayak, Social Activist

All the victims were unidentified homeless poor people whose bodies were found in different parts of the city. Two persons died on Friday while two others were found dead on Thursday. On Wednesday, an unidentified person died. Their bodies are kept in the mortuary for identification for 72 hours.

Police officials said though the exact cause of death would be ascertained following an autopsy, heatstroke was identified as the initial cause of death.

Though the district administration has made arrangements in raen basera, a house for homeless persons, but only a few homeless people prefer to stay in it. While the administration keeps making announcements regarding raen basera among homeless people, they again return to roadsides after a day or two.

With no respite from the prevalent heatwave conditions in Amritsar being predicted by the Meteorological Department, homeless people like beggars, including women on different roads and busy chowks with their children, are most vulnerable to heatwave.

Anil Vinayak, a former banker and social activist, said pointed out that these destitute people were also part of society and the government and the district administration should come out with a plan to rehabilitate them.

With the temperature hovering around 44 degrees Celsius in the city for over a week, doctors have advised the people to remain indoors and venture out after taking proper precautions and take ample fluid to keep the body cool. Severe heat conditions is harmful for children and senior citizens.