Proust told the city council that the section of the plan dealing with unusually cold weather would be operational in time for winter.

A round-the-clock civil safety operations room to watch and react to hazardous weather would be in place early 2004, the police chief said.

The initiative comes after a record-breaking heatwave in the first two weeks of August that killed 11,400 people, according to a government estimate.

Health authorities were criticised for reacting too slowly to the phenomenon and the government has pledged a complete review of its procedures to tackle any future weather disasters.

Proust also rejected accusations that the capital's fire service had received orders not to give any death tolls during the heatwave, saying that any figures they would have advanced would have been "very partial".

TERRA.WIRE