Dense fog throws life out of gear in city; road, rail traffic hit

Dense fog till 11 am on Saturday morning disrupted life with normal supply of milk, vegetables, newspapers got delayed due to poor visibility accompanied with cold wave. Most of the residents preferred to remain indoors till noon due to which there was lesser movement of traffic on busy roads of the city. Those braving the chill on two-wheelers and auto-rickshaws looked fully covered with woolens. With visibility dropping to 100 m, vehicles had to use fog and parking lights.

Rail traffic was also hit badly with many trains running late. Sachkhand Express, operating between Nanded and Amritsar, Chhatisgarh Express and Malwa Express were among trains delayed for several hours and passengers, who were not able to trace train movements, had to brave the chill at the railway station due to the dense fog. Those going out of station by road had also face inconvenience due to low visibility in periphery areas.

Regular supply of vegetables by vendors was also affected till 11 am due to fog. The minimum temperature in the city hovered around 7°C. Two-wheeler riders were finding it difficult to ride vehicles on roads due to the extreme weather conditions.

Shopkeepers selling heaters and hot-water bottles said there was a huge demand for such products due to the biting cold. The people were seen sitting around bonfires along roadsides to keep themselves warm.

Experts have already issued yellow and orange alerts in the region for the next two days and issued advisory to stay indoors as much as possible. Even there was less number of morning and evening walkers at the PAU, Rose Garden, Leisure Valley, and other places due to the prevailing weather conditions.