MYMENSINGH, Dec 31: Severe cold wave, during last seven days has paralysed formal life in the district town and rural areas.

Cold wave has made life miserable. People, especially poor people who do not have warm clothes to protect themselves from the bite of severe cold, are worst sufferers. Sky remained cloudy most of the time during the period.

As the coldness is Intensifying day by day, prices of quilt and warm clothes have gone up. Traders of warm clothes, specially on foot-paths are doing brisk business.

Poor people are moving towards the district town for warm clothes at cheaper rate. But prices of warm clothes have shot up 200 times of actual rate. As a result warm clothes are beyond their purchasing capacity.

Thousands of poor people are spending days and nights at railway stations, bus stands, ferry ghats, verandahs and foot-paths in chilly weather.

It is apprehended, severity of cold wave would increase in the coming days.