Air, rail, road traffic hit in Punjab, Haryana
January 6th, 2011 - 3:29 pm ICT by IANSChandigarh, Jan 6 (IANS) Thick fog hit hard air, train and road traffic across Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh Thursday, with the Chandigarh airport shut due to poor visibility and trains running behind schedule.The fog also caused traffic jams, particularly on highways, disrupting inter-state road traffic.
Officials said visibility at the airport was less than 1,000 meters, not enough for planes to land or take off safely.
Airport director H.S. Toor told IANS that no flight had operated until midday Thursday.
“We are hoping the weather will clear and flights will start operating normally. The whole region is facing fog and mist,” he said.
Railway officials said that train traffic was also badly hit.
The mercury dipped below normal in most parts of Punjab and Haryana. Haryana’s Narnaul town was coldest with a low of 0.5 degrees Celsius, six notches below normal.
Hissar saw a sharp plunge in the mercury, at 1.8 degrees. Ambala and Karnal towns recorded 5.3 and 3.4 degrees Celsius respectively.
Chandigarh recorded a minimum temperature of 5.7 degrees Celsius, three notches below average.
In the wake of the intense cold, the administration has extended the winter break for Chandigarh schools till Jan 11.
Officials say the cold wave will last till Saturday morning.
In Punjab, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala cities, the minimum temperature dropped to 4.8, 3.9 and 3.7 degrees Celsius respectively.
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- Panjab, Haryana face fog chaos - Dec 27, 2010
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- Dense fog shuts Chandigarh airport for fifth day - Jan 09, 2011
- 11 deaths in UP, Jharkhand toll 45 as winter onslaught continues (Roundup) - Jan 06, 2011
- Chandigarh welcomes bright sun, chill remains - Jan 11, 2011
- Thick fog engulfs Punjab, Haryana - Jan 20, 2012
- North India reels under severe cold, dense fog (Roundup) - Jan 20, 2012
- Winter onslaught continues, 11 deaths in UP, Jharkhand toll 45 (Intro Roundup) - Jan 06, 2011
- North India reels under cold onslaught (Roundup) - Jan 18, 2012
Tags: air train, airport director, cold wave, haryana, hissar, intense cold, inter state, karnal, minimum temperature, narnaul, patiala, poor visibility, railway officials, road traffic, thick fog, three notches, toor, traffic jams, traffic officials, train traffic