School timings in Jaisalmer, Barmer districts changed to 7.30am-11am

Jaisalmer: In response to severe heatwave in Jaisalmer, district collector Pratap Singh issued an order Thursday to alter school timings for students from Grade 1 to 8. The directive mandates that all govt and private schools will conduct classes from 7.30am to 11am for these grades, and the order will remain in effect till May 16.In an order issued by Barmer collector Tina Dabi, school timings for primary and upper primary students in all govt and private schools have been changed from 7.30am to 11am due to intense heat.Simultaneously, the India-Pakistan border near Jaisalmer is experiencing extremely high temperatures with mercury surpassing 48 degrees Celsius.BSF Rajasthan Frontier inspector general M L Garg consequently released an advisory to safeguard officers and soldiers posted at the border from the risks of heat, sunstroke, and heat exhaustion.Garg said considering the intense conditions at the India-Pakistan border, advisories were issued and soldiers were provided with scarves, goggles, hats, and water bottles. Lemon water is supplied three to four times daily during their duties, along with ORS solutions, onions, and glucose. Duct cooling systems have been installed in barracks, and coolers positioned at permanent OP towers have shown positive outcomes. In incidents of heatstroke, affected soldiers are swiftly transferred to air-conditioned cold rooms at the border post, and those returning from duty are also given short periods in the cool rooms, he said.