Bone-chilling cold, dense fog throw life out of gear in city
Avneet Kaur
Jalandhar, December 30
Residents today woke up to a foggy morning. A thick blanket of fog engulfed the city and it remained intact the whole day. Commuters, especially two-wheelers, had a tough time reaching their destinations.
The maximum temperature dropped to 11°C, forcing people to remain confined to their homes.
The minimum temperature in the city was recorded at 4-5°C. The Meteorological Department has even predicted rain in the next 48 hours due to strong western disturbances approaching the region from December 31.
Vehicles were seen moving at a snail’s pace due to the low visibility. Hawkers, vegetable sellers, food delivery boys and milkmen are having a hard time. Residents are avoiding outside visits. Hitherto crowded markets of the city witnessed fewer footfalls.
Ravi, a milkman from Pholriwal village, said: “I leave my village around 5:30 every morning to deliver milk in the city. My job becomes quite tough in the ongoing cold weather conditions. The dense fog adds to my woes.”
Another commuter Harshvir said as it seems that fog was going to become denser in the days to come, special arrangements should had been made by the NHAI at the onset of the winter season. In the absence of proper signage, barricades and speed humps, driving on highways require extra caution.
Rahul, a zomato employee, said: “It becomes really difficult to commute on a two-wheeler in such a cold weather. Even the workload has increased as people prefer dining inside rather than going out in this foggy and bone-chilling weather,” he said, adding that a job was a job and irrespective of how the weather was like they have to work.
Moreover, the dense fog also left passengers in a lurch as several trains were running much behind their schedule or are cancelled. They were forced to brave the biting cold while waiting for the trains. Women passengers had a tough time protecting their children from cold.
Kamla, a passenger, said her husband had dropped her at the railway station and she had to board Jammu Tawi-Haridwar Express but after reaching here, she came to know that the train was delayed by over five hours.
Meanwhile, the chilly weather, which has put normal life out of gear, on the other hand has certainly brought smiles to the faces of farmers in the region. Jaswinder Singh, a farmer, said the weather was good for wheat, potato and mustard.
He said he was worried whether this year the weather might not be cold enough. “But I am happy as the fog and dew are particularly good for the wheat crop,” he said.
Met predicts rain in 48 hours
- The maximum temperature dropped to 11°C, forcing people to remain confined to their homes. The minimum temperature in the city was recorded at 4-5°C. The Meteorological Department has even predicted rain in the next 48 hours due to strong western disturbances approaching the region from December 31.
- The chilly weather, which has put normal life out of gear, on the other hand has certainly brought smiles to the faces of farmers in the region. Jaswinder Singh, a farmer, said the weather was good for wheat, potato and mustard. He said he was worried whether this year the weather might not be cold enough. “But I am happy as the fog and dew are particularly good for the wheat crop,” he said.
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