The intensity of cold wave with dense fog has increased due to decreasing the temperature on Tuesday paralyzing the normal life in the urban and rural areas of the district.

Chilly wind barreling from Himalayas intensifies cold wave, making lives especially the homeless and the char people of the district miserable and intolerable.

According to Rangpur met office, the lowest temperature was recorded in Rangpur 9.50 degrees Celsius at 9 am today and the temperature was recorded in Rangpur 11.00 degrees Celsius on Monday morning.

The intensity of chill is felt before sunrise and after sunset. Commuters are facing troubles in getting vehicles particularly tempo, rickshaw and van as the presence of the vehicles on roads and bus stands are very thin.

The cold wave victims are mostly babies, children and the aged people from poor and low income families living in the straw huts and fragile dwellings.

Poor people particularly farmers and day laborers are the worst sufferers as they can’t work in the field due to severe cold wind.

They are crowding to the shops of second hand warm clothes and buying those at high prices as the shop owners have increased the prices of all warm clothes due to heavy demand.

Many of the destitute are trying to combat this bone chilling cold through heat generated by burning heap of straw and old rubber tires. Animals in sheds are shrouded with old sacks.

As the chilling weather has aggravated due to falling temperature, the residents of sandy char areas on the Brahamaputra and the Teesta River basins are facing its severe impact.

Lal Miah of Barobaldia village under Sadarupazila said he cannot go to the filed due to cold wave and dense fog.

Chairman of Mollarchar union parishad of the district M. Abdul Hai said the char dwellers of the union are the worst sufferers as they are facing bone chilling cold during the winter season.

District relief and rehabilitation officer AKM Idris Ali said they had got 56,000 blankets from the Ministry of Relief this year and all of them had been disbursed to the distressed people through the district and upazila administrations including local government bodies.

Talking to the BSS, deputy commissioner Abdul Matin said he had sent a letter to the ministry concerned seeking more blankets for the distressed people of the district.

However, the cold hit people urged the government and other socio-cultural organizations including well off section of the society to distribute warm clothes to cold victims to mitigate their sufferings.