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Northern states on alert, Delhi schools to be shut

NEW DELHI: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued an alert forecasting that several parts of north India could witness thunderstorm and squall on Tuesday with winds gusting up to 50-70 kilometres per hour.
The IMD issued an amber-coloured alert, indicating severe weather, for parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, western Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim and West Bengal.
Several parts of these states could witness thunderstorm and squall with winds gusting up to 50-70 kilometres per hour, the alert said.
Delhi is gearing up for a formidable thunderstorm that's expected to hit the national capital region in the early hours of Tuesday. Following warnings from the met department, schools have declared a holiday in the afternoon, and the police are on alert. Delhi Metro has said it will exercise extreme caution in case wind speed exceeds 90 km.
The Delhi government has ordered all afternoon schools to remain closed on Tuesday as precautionary measures. Schools in neighbouring Haryana have been closed till Tuesday following storm warnings.
Search, and rescue teams have been put on standby in every district of Delhi.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by chief secretary Anshu Prakash to review preparedness in the wake of the warning.
The revenue department of the government has issued directions to all district officers and said water and power utilities would also keep restoration teams ready.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Traffic Police advisory said it had alerted forces on the field to be on the alert and to ensure that obstacles such as fallen trees were removed. It advised commuters not to travel during a storm. Those who stopped their vehicles on the road in the event of a storm or rain were asked to keep away from overhead electrical wires, tinned roofs, trees, etc. The commuters were advised to take shelter under concrete structures. Drivers were asked to use dippers or parking lights while driving.
The Delhi Metro has decided to exercise extreme caution while running trains. "If the wind speed is reported to be above 90 km per hour, trains will be put on hold at platforms. No train will enter platforms with a speed of more than 15 kmph," a Metro official said.
The met department, however, said the impact of the storm this time would be less than that of last week.
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