17 trains delayed as fog envelops region; passengers a harried lot

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 17

Passengers at the railway station here were in for a gruelling wait today, thanks to interminable fog-induced train delays. As per the information collected from the Railways, at least 17 trains were running behind schedule, some of them by over four hours.

While Amritsar Mail, en route from Howrah to the holy city, was behind schedule by four hours and 42 minutes, Chhattisgarh Express arrived here six hours and 40 minutes late. Likewise, the Sambalpur–Jammu Tawi Express was delayed by six hours, Shane Punjab by 40 minutes, Durgiana Express by four hours and 10 minutes, Saryu Yamuna Express by four hours and 19 minutes, the CSMT Amritsar Express by four hours and 54 minutes and the Delhi Superfast by 21 minutes.

The Kiratpur–Amritsar Express departed after a delay of five hours and 56 minutes, the Chhattisgarh Express after two hours and 30 minutes and the Sachkhand Express following a delay of three hours and 40 minutes.

Minthu Kumar, a passenger scheduled to take a train to Katiyar, rued, “We should not have to wait for the train to arrive at the station in the biting cold for so long.”

Visibility on city roads hit

The city residents witnessed densest fog of the season on Wednesday with visibility getting restricted to just a few meters. The dense fog cover continued to persist till 11 am after which it started to thin.

The sky became clear by 12 pm and the sun started shining brightly in the sky after a long gap. The residents enjoyed the sunlight with weather conditions continuing to remain clear throughout the day.

However, the residents got no respite from the intense cold conditions. “It was after almost three weeks that we got to see sunlight for so many hours. We hope that the cold conditions would abate soon,” said Rajinder Singh, a local resident.

Intense foggy conditions also caused trouble to road and rail passengers due to restricted visibility. Though no major road accident was reported from the district on Wednesday, commuters complained of long travel time as the low visibility forced them to drive slow.

While intense cold conditions affecting general life in the region for the past three weeks, agriculture experts stated that the present weather conditions was helpful in the growth of wheat plants. They stated that the farmers should, however, take proper care of vegetable and fodder crops.

“Special care must be taken of small fruit plants as extreme cold can damage their leaves which can have an adverse affect on plant health. A large number of unprotected tree saplings can be damaged,” said Chief Agriculture Officer Jatinder Singh Gill.

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