Bhubaneswar, March 17 (IANS): The Odisha government on Tuesday directed authorities of all schools in the state to hold classes only in the morning from next month as the mercury is set to rise in the next few days.

Both private and government schools have been told to only hold classes between 6.30 a.m. and 10.30 am from April 1, School and Mass Education Department Minister Debi Prasad Mishra told reporters.

The direction was issued as a precautionary measure.

No school will remain open after 11 a.m., he said.

The schools have also been directed to complete all examinations by the end of March.

Mercury has started shooting up in many places, with Malkangiri emerging the hottest in the state at a maximum temperature of 38 degrees Celsius.

State capital Bhubaneswar and its nearby Cuttack city recorded maximum temperatures of 37.2 and 34.5 degrees Celsius, respectively, an official of the Bhubaneswar meteorological centre said.

Temperature are likely to rise further in the coming days, he said.