As a severe cold wave gripped the Capital during the last month forcing many Delhiites to take solace in the cozy confines of their houses, there were some who were dying a 'cold' death on pavements and at other open spaces.



Mortuaries of various government hospitals in the city have received dozens of unclaimed bodies of people who apparently died of cold.





Since December 1, 2012, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) alone has received 26 unclaimed bodies while its trauma centre has received 10 bodies until Thursday."In the first 10 days of this month, the main hospital and the trauma centre have received seven bodies with cold weather conditions cited as the cause of death. Over two dozen people died of cold in December too," said a senior doctor at AIIMS.

"We are in touch with the police to help us identify the dead so that we can hand over the bodies to their relatives," he added.Delhi witnessed record low temperatures in the last few weeks, with minimum and maximum temperatures plunging several notches below normal. During the first week of January, Lady Hardinge Medical College(LHMC) received six bodies, while Sabzi Mandi mortuary of the Delhi government has received 10.

Delhi Police officials said they had found several bodies of the poor during the cold spell.



"In past one week, our officers found at least six unclaimed bodies on the roads that had no injury marks on their bodies. This indicates that they died of cold. The bodies were found around the destitute shelters near Jama Masjid, Kamla Market and Paharganj," said Devesh Chandra Srivastava, DCP, central district.

Attendants of a patient live in the open outside AIIMS. Attendants of a patient live in the open outside AIIMS.

"During the biting cold, we instructed our patrolling officers to take special care of the destitute people... Those who seem to be homeless are sent to the night shelters set up by the Delhi government," he said. There are over 1.5 homeless persons in Delhi.ActionAid, an NGO working for poor people, said balloon sellers, rickshaw pullers, daily wage labourers and street vendors were among those succumbing to cold conditions. Doctors say that exposure to cold through hands, feet, face or head can rapidly lead to a drop in core body temperature."The cold air narrows airways, making it harder to breathe. It also increases the risk of respiratory infection. Cold lowers heart rate but raises blood pressure. It also increases the risk of blood clotting. This increases the risk of heart attack or stroke," Dr Navneet Kaur, internal medicine, Nova Specialty Surgery, said.

Patients and family battle the chill



Ram Jeet Bind, who lives in Varanasi, arrived at AIIMS complex on November 28 - two days before the date given to him by the ophthalmology department. After waiting for months, Bind's fourmonth-old son, who developed a tumour behind his right eye, finally got a chance to be examined by a doctor.





Bind has been reporting to the doctor regularly and he says the condition of his son is visibly improving. But having abandoned his carpet business temporarily, he has no money to buy food or even a cot for his wife and son. All he has to shield himself and his family from the biting cold is a mattress and two blankets, one of which was stolen this morning.



"We may save our son from the tumour but I don't know how long we can protect him from the chill," says Bind.



There are several others like Bind here. Some of the attendants of AIIMS' patients have been living around for three years now. These attendants, with little source of income, rely on private and government charities for their livelihood. Private charities or NGOs make rounds of the hospital twice a week from where the attendants stock their groceries and woolens.



Despite three NGO and private run camps for the patients and their attendants, most people shy away from them. "Every night when the camps open there is a fight to get in. People tear each other's clothes, so we have decided to keep distance from them. We'd rather die of cold," said Nazarana Begum, who's being treated for paralysis.



Temperature is one of the most discussed subjects among the attendants. Most console themselves by saying that the lowest has already been suffered. But the meteorologists have bad news for them. It's going to be colder again as rain is predicted in the coming days.



- By Suhas Munshi in New Delhi