National News Desk
Delhi, along with several parts of north India, is grappling with a relentless cold wave and dense fog, causing significant delays in both air and rail travel. The biting cold and reduced visibility have led to the delay of over 150 flights and 30 trains in and around the capital on Thursday.
According to the Delhi Airport Flight Information Display System (FIDS), around 120 flights, including both international and domestic, were delayed by several hours. Additionally, 53 flights were cancelled due to fog and operational challenges. The affected flights comprised 21 international departures, 23 international arrivals, 33 domestic departures, and 43 domestic arrivals.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported visibility below 200 meters in various parts of the country, including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, West Rajasthan, and West and East Uttar Pradesh at 5:30 am on Thursday. Dense fog was observed in isolated areas of Delhi, East Rajasthan, East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, and Assam.
The poor visibility also affected the train operations, as 30 Delhi-bound trains from various parts of the country were running late by several hours. Some of the delayed trains were Kerala Express, Poorva Express, Rajdhani Express, Shatabdi Express, and Garib Rath Express.
Passengers faced difficulty at the New Delhi Railway Station and the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport as they waited for their delayed or cancelled flights and trains. Many of them expressed their frustration and inconvenience over the situation.
The IMD has forecasted that the minimum temperature in Delhi will remain in the range of 2 to 4 degrees Celsius until January 23, and that the dense to very dense fog conditions are likely to continue to prevail over north India during the next five days.
The ongoing adverse weather conditions are likely to continue impacting travel, urging passengers to stay informed about the status of their flights and train schedules as authorities work to manage the situation.
