Punjab continues to reel under dense fog and an intense cold wave, with temperatures dropping to low single digits across several districts. Owing to the harsh weather conditions, a red alert has been
issued for many parts of the state, including Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana, for January 15, 2026.
Amid the worsening weather, students and parents are urging Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains to extend the winter holidays for schools by a few more days. Punjab schools reopened on January 14, as per the earlier order, but the prevailing cold wave and thick fog have made early morning travel difficult for students.
Concerns over student safety have flooded social media platforms, with many users commenting on posts by the Chief Minister and the Education Minister. Several students have highlighted the risks posed by poor visibility and extremely low temperatures during morning hours.
“Being a student, I feel like you should extend the holidays as in Bathinda it’s 3 degrees Celsius and there is very dense fog, which creates a problem for on-road vehicles. Kindly look into this because crying after something has happened is not good,” wrote a X user.
Another user appealed, “Respected sir, it is a humble request to you to please extend the holidays of school as it is very cold outside and the weather is foggy. It becomes difficult to go to school in the morning hours because of the dense fog. Kindly consider this request, please sir.”
Students have also been sharing screenshots of fog and cold wave alerts issued by the Punjab State Disaster Management Authority. Many expressed disappointment over what they see as a lack of response from the authorities despite repeated appeals for an extension of Punjab winter holidays in 2026.
So far, there has been no official announcement regarding an extension of the holidays. While the cold wave continues and red alerts remain in place, any decision on school closures will be taken by the state government. Officials are yet to confirm whether the winter break will be extended.
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Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for several districts, including Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Moga, Firozpur, Nawashahr, Hoshiarpur, Fatehgarh Sahib, Sangrur, Patiala, SAS Nagar, Mansa, Bathinda, Barnala, Muktsar, Faridkot and Gurdaspur.
IMD also said that a fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect the Western Himalayan region from January 16, 2026. The system, which was earlier seen as a cyclonic circulation over Himachal Pradesh and nearby areas at 3.1 km above mean sea level, has weakened.
