BHUBANESWAR: Working hours of labourers in unorganized sectors will be reduced and their work will be interrupted from 11 am to 3.30 pm due to heat wave conditions in Odisha . State chief secretary AP Padhi said this on Wednesday while reviewing heat wave preparedness for the impending summer season.Specific instruction was given to the health department for keeping adequate facility in the hospitals to treat the sunstroke patients. Generators should be kept ready for uninterrupted operation of air-conditioners/air-coolers in heat wave ward/ cool rooms in the hospitals.In the meeting, women and child development and Mission Shakti department secretary said that the activities in all anganwadi centres will be restricted between 6 am and 10 am.Commerce and transport department was directed to regulate the timings for running the bus services during peak summer period and to ensure that all public service vehicles carry potable water and ORS. Availability of drinking water at bus stands and truck terminals should be ensured, said a senior officer present in the meeting.The school timing will be restricted during the summer months starting from April 2 and all schools will break for summer vacation from May 5. Schools should keep first aid box and ORS packets. There should not be any load-shedding during summer and, if at all, must be restricted to the minimum which should be in the early morning/ early evening, said Bishnupada Sethi, special relief commissioner.Chief secretary directed all the departments must be very careful and see that heat wave prevention or mitigation measures relating to their respective departments are in place and operational without any hassle during election time.He also asked his officers to make arrangements for adequate water supply in rural areas as well as in urban areas. Forest department has been asked for creation of water bodies, renovation of water holes and provision for temporary water points in wildlife habitats inside forest areas.As many as 2,042 people had lost their lives due to heat wave in 1998 in the state. But the death toll was limited to 15 last year. Heat wave has been declared as a state specific disaster from 2015.

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