Fog causes havoc in North India: 13 flights, 74 trains cancelled in North India

North and East India reeled under extreme cold on Tuesday with yet another day of dense fog. Inclement weather and dense fog continued to cripple life in Uttar Pradesh for the sixth day on Tuesday, delaying more than 100 trains and leading to the death of at least 24 people since Monday. While the state government said there were no casualties due to intense cold, sources said at least two dozen people have died since Monday, taking the toll to more than 150. Meanwhile, thirteen flights were reported to be cancelled and over 80 were delayed in Delhi out of which 21 were to depart from the Palam airport. [caption id=“attachment_2022043” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “]  Temperatures dipped in the national capital. AFP[/caption] Both rail and air traffic continued to be hit by fog. Several road accidents were reported from many parts of the state. 74 trains had to be cancelled due to fog and at least 176 trains were delayed, according to Times of India. Northern Railway officials said that more than 100 trains, including Chandigarh Express, Shatabdi Express between new Delhi-Lucknow, Gomti Express, Gorakhdham Express, Punjab Mail, Kashi-Vishwanath Express, Himgiri Express and New Jalpaigudi Express, were running late. A Jet Airways flight was cancelled Mon onday and with the visibility not showing much improvement Tuesday, airport officials told IANS that the situation was unlikely to improve. According to sources, five people died in Balrampur, three in Barabanki and two each in Shrawasti and Sitapur. Ten people died in Ghazipur, where an unprecedented cold wave has swept the region for the past 10 days. “The administration at all the 75 districts have been asked to coordinate with local NGOs and ensure that there is no paucity of shelter homes and other essential things for the homeless and the destitute,” a senior official told IANS. Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan said Rs.16.35 crore has been released by the state government for distribution of blankets while Rs.3.27 crore has been released for bonfires at every tehsil level. The Met Office has forecast that the cold wave conditions would continue for a few more days. Varanasi, Jhansi, Agra, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Allahabad and Bareilly areas have recorded below normal temperatures. Churk remained the coldest region in the state with a minimum of 0.6 degree Celsius, while the minimum temperature in Lucknow Monday was 7.4 degrees Celsius and the maximum was 12.3 degrees Celsius. Najeebabad recorded a low of 2.5 degrees, Saharanpur was 4.4 degrees, Meerut 3.2 degrees and Agra had a minimum of 4.7 degrees Celsius on Monday. IANS