Chandigarh: The winter vacations have been extended in all schools of this city till January 16 due to the prevailing intense cold, an official said here on Tuesday.

The schools were supposed to open on January 3 after the usually 15-day winter vacation but the break was extended till Jan 11 as the city and the neighboring region was in the grip of freezing chill.

"All classes will remain shut till January 16. To compensate for the loss of classes, schools will be open on second Saturdays, which are otherwise holidays," an official spokesperson said.
There are over 55 private and nearly 110 government schools in this joint capital city of Punjab and Haryana.

These days, the minimum temperature in Chandigarh hovers between 3 and 6 degrees Celsius while the maximum temperature remains between 7 and 11 degrees.

In the neighboring town of Panchkula in Haryana also, the vacations have been extended till Jan 16 because of the intense cold. IANS