As dense fog continues to shroud parts of North India, air, road and rail traffic is greatly affected due to low visibility. This has thrown normal life out of gear, as most of the flights and trains either remained suspended or took off hours behind schedule. Even road drivers are facing difficulties as in some areas the visibility drops to zero during early hours of the morning.
“I had to pick my folks, who were flying in from Pune, from the IGI airport. The arrival was scheduled at 1 am. I started off good two hours before the arrival, but the dense fog made it impossible for me to drive. I had to take a detour many times and finally reached the airport 30 minutes late. Thankfully, the flight was on time,” says Dr Mayank Dovel, a surgeon with a city hospital.
Even as a thick layer of fog distresses the city, commuters at the railway stations found one more deterrent in the form of icy winds to struggle with. Bimal Moitra, a tally operator had to catch a Lucknow-bound Shatabdi Express and reached the station on time. He says, “I was praying for my train to be on time as I had an important appointment in Lucknow. But luck was not so kind as after waiting for my train for around two hours in the freezing cold, I was informed that the train had been cancelled. I was left with no other option, but to hire a cab and start on the journey by road the next day.”
Though children have been spared the cold with the Delhi government extending the holidays in schools, parents are not happy. “We thought now that kids can be with us for a few more days we can visit our parents in Mumbai. But seeing the situation getting worse we have cancelled our plans. Also it is too cold to even venture out anywhere,” says Veena Suri, a homemaker.