Bhubaneswar, March 12 (IANS) The Orissa government Friday issued an advisory in all 30 districts asking people to stay indoors after the temperature soared to a sweltering 40 degrees Celsius in some parts of the state.

'In view of the heat wave conditions, we have asked collectors in all districts to remain alert,' a senior official of the state revenue and disaster management department told IANS.

'We have asked people to stay indoors, particularly during the peak hours,' he said, adding that an advisory has also been issued requesting minimal use of vehicles in the afternoon.

For the past few days, several towns in the western part of the state have been recording 37-40 degrees Celsius, way above the average.

'District authorities have been asked to deploy sufficient health officials and keep adequate medicines at hospitals to treat patients for sunstroke,' the official said.

Schools and educational institutions have also been asked to reschedule their timings in view of the heat wave conditions.

The temperature in Talcher, an industrial town in Angul district, has been hovering around 40 degrees Celsius for the past few days. It, however, come down to 37.2 degrees Celsius Thursday, an official of the meteorological centre told IANS.

The maximum temperature at Bhabanipatna Thursday was 39 degrees Celsius, Malkangiri 38.7 degrees Celsius, Titilagarh 38.5 and Bolangir 38.3 degrees Celsius.