By IANS,
Chandigarh : Dense fog enveloped Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh Sunday, leading to poor visibility in the region. The airport here continued to remain shut for the fifth consecutive day.
“No flight has operated from here since Wednesday due to poor weather. Today again we have dense fog and there is no possibility of resumption of services. We can only wait for the weather to become clear,” said an airport official.
Chandigarh airport’s Instrument Landing System (ILS), which helps while landing or taking off during poor visibility conditions, has been lying defunct for the past many months. Though a new ILS has been installed it has not started working yet.
Besides, long distance trains were also affected due to fog.
“Trains are moving on time, but a few long distance trains have got delayed due to fog,” D.K. Meena, superintendent of Chandigarh railway station, told IANS.
Temperatures remained below normal in most parts of the region.
Chandigarh shivered at a low of 3.6 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal.
In Punjab, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala cities, the mercury settled at 2.2, 3.7 and 3.2 degrees respectively.
“Thick fog is prevailing in most parts of Punjab and Haryana that has reduced the visibility level to almost zero at various places. Mercury has dipped below normal, during day and night, in most of the cities,” said a Met official here.
In Haryana, Narnaul town was coldest at 3 degrees. Ambala, Karnal and Bhiwani registered minimum temperatures of 4.5, 4 and 4.4 degrees.