The cold wave tightened its grip over most parts of North India on Monday claiming six more lives in the region, which wore a blanket of fog in the morning. Five more persons were killed in Uttar Pradesh, taking the toll during the past two days to 10 in the State, while a beggar died in Samba district of Jammu. The fog reduced visibility in the national Capital. The minimum temperature was 7.7 degrees Celsius, said the weatherman, forecasting a foggy Tuesday morning. The maximum was 19.1 degrees, three notches below normal. In UP, two persons died in Bahraich district and one each in Gonda, Kannauj and Farrukhabad since Sunday. Maximum temperatures were below normal by five to 13 degrees in the State. Muzaffarnagar continued to be coldest at a minimum temperature of two degrees. Bihar was also hit by the cold wave even as thick fog disrupted rail and air services. A number of trains, including the Delhi-Patna Rajdhani Express, were delayed by several hours, said Railway officials. Commercial flights at Patna airport were also affected due to poor visibility, the airport director said. Chittorgarh in Rajasthan remained the coldest place with a night temperature of five degrees. Churu, Sriganganagar, Pilani and Jaipur recorded minimums of 5.1, 5.8, 6.1 and 6.4 respectively. In Punjab and Haryana, the minimum temperatures soared up to three degrees even as foggy conditions prevailed. Amritsar was the coldest place in plains of the two States at a low of 2.8, one notch below normal. Piercing cold continued to sweep most parts of Himachal Pradesh even as the mercury rose by few notches in the lower areas. Keylong and Kalpa in the tribal districts of Lahaul and Spiti, and Kinnaur recorded minimum temperature of minus 7.3 and minus 1.8, while Solan and Bhuntar groaned under the biting cold with the mercury hovering around the freezing point at 0.6. However, Kashmir got some relief from the intense cold as the mercury rose across the Valley with night temperature in Srinagar going up by over five degrees. Srinagar experienced a relatively warm night as the minimum settled at 1.2 against the season’s low of minus 4 on Sunday. Kargil was the coldest place in the State with the mercury settling down at a low of minus 10. — PTI Rohtang Pass opened PTI adds from Keylong: The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has opened the Rohtang Pass for light vehicles after clearing the snow under very difficult conditions. “We have opened the Pass, the gateway to snow-bound tribal Lahaul Valley, for the third time this season after it was officially closed for vehicular traffic on November 15,” said Commander 30 BRO Colonel Yogesh Nayyar. The opening of the 13,050-foot Pass has come as an unexpected relief for the people who were stuck in the snow-bound Valley due to non-availability of helicopter services.