Fog hits flights, trains in Delhi again

NEW DELHI - Several flights and trains were disrupted for the second consecutive day Monday as fog enveloped the national capital, leaving a large number of passengers stranded.

Ten domestic flights were cancelled and 20 were delayed as the heavy fog led to drop in visibility while six trains were cancelled and 55 were delayed, officials said.

The stranded passengers were exasperated and agitated by the lack of information and cooperation from the authorities.

“I tried calling the airport helpline number and even checked their website but there was no information on any flight being cancelled or delayed,” said a livid Sunil Kakkar, who was travelling to Jaipur.

“My flight was scheduled at 10 a.m. but when I reached here I was told that it was delayed by four hours but nobody informed me,” he added.

Many passengers kept waiting at the airport and railway stations for hours.

“I was supposed to travel to Ajmer by a morning train but due to the fog it got delayed. I have no other option but to wait at the platform,” said Ashok Mathur, stuck at the New Delhi Railway Station.

Railway officials said many trains to Ajmer, Kota and Mumbai along the western trunk line were affected, besides by fog, due to agitation by the Gujjars for a job quota.

Weather officials, however, said the situation was much better as compared to Sunday when about 15 domestic flights from Delhi were cancelled and 12 international were rescheduled. Over two dozen trains were also affected.

The minimum temperature Monday was 6.1 degrees Celsius, a notch below the average for this time of the season and the maximum was expected to hover around 19 degrees Celsius, an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The coldest day of the season in Delhi so far was Dec 22 with a minimum temperature of 5.2 degrees.

The capital saw its first foggy day of the season Saturday.