Government schools in Tripura shut till April 23 due to heat wave

The Chief Minister also appealed to the private schools in the state to do the same in view of the prevailing weather condition. Tripura has 4,226 state-run and state-aided schools with 7.02 lakh students.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Monday (April 17) announced that all government schools in the state will remain shut from April 18 to 23 due to the prevailing heatwave conditions. The scorching heat may adversely impact the health of the students, he said in a Facebook post, announcing the closure of all state-run and state-aided schools.

The Chief Minister also appealed to the private schools in the state to do the same in view of the prevailing weather condition. Tripura has 4,226 state-run and state-aided schools with 7.02 lakh students. However, colleges and universities in the state will function as usual, officials said.

The mercury is hovering around 37 degrees Celsius in Tripura over the last three days. Rains are unlikely till April 20, weather officials said.

Meanwhile, in Maharashtra, during the 'Maharashtra Bhushan' award event in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, at least 11 people lost their lives due to sunstroke as the function, attended by lakhs, was held in an open ground.

The function held in Kharghar area in Raigad district neighbouring Mumbai was attended by Union home minister Amit Shah who conferred the award on spiritual leader and social reformer Appasaheb Dharmadhikari.

A police official said a couple of patients are on ventilator support at hospitals in Navi Mumbai and Panvel city and their condition is being monitored. 

"At least 11 deaths apparently due to sunstroke have been confirmed," the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a release on Sunday night.