North India shivers on New Year's day as mercury drops

The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has set up 235 pagoda tents to provide shelter to homeless people. Night shelters have been set up in several areas of the national capital including AIIMS, Lodhi Road, and Nizamuddin flyover.

In response to the chilly weather, residents of the capital were seen gathering around bonfires, while others took shelter in night homes as temperatures continued to drop.

The cold has also intensified in Rajasthan, severely affecting daily life. In Jaipur, the temperature was recorded at 7.2 degrees Celsius at 8:30 am, while Bikaner and Churu saw temperatures of 7 degrees Celsius and 6 degrees Celsius, respectively as per the IMD.

In Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya, a layer of fog engulfs the city as the temperature dipped in the city. In Meerut temperature was recorded at 9 degrees Celsius, in Lucknow at 10 degrees Celsius, as per IMD.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the cold conditions persisted, with temperatures plummeting below zero in many areas. The cold weather has caused the surface of Dal Lake to remain frozen. At 8:30 am Srinagar recorded a temperature of -1.5 degrees Celsius, -2.4 degrees Celsius in Gulmarg, -6 degrees Celsius in Pahalgam, 0.4 degrees Celsius in Banihal and 0.4 degrees Celsius in Kupwara, as per IMD.

Despite the biting cold, people from across the country flocked to temples and churches in large numbers to celebrate the New Year. Whether in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Ayodhya, Haridwar, Mathura, Varanasi, Ajmer, Tirupati, or Guwahati, worshippers gathered at iconic religious sites. In Delhi, despite the inclement weather, people began their day with morning prayers and 'aarti' at the famed Pracheen Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place, while similar scenes unfolded at the Jhandewalan temple. (ANI)