Cold conditions continue in Punjab, Haryana

Chandigarh, December 23

Chilly weather and fog conditions prevailed at most places in Punjab and Haryana disrupting normal life with rail and air services also being hit.

Narnaul in Haryana with 2.5 degrees Celsius and Ludhiana in Punjab with 3.1 degrees Celsius were the coldest places in the two states.

Chandigarh, which recorded a low of 5.8 degrees Celsius, however received sunshine as the day developed giving some relief to the residents.

Rail and air services to and from Chandigarh, the Union Territory, were hit.

Several trains including the morning Shatabdi Express from New Delhi was running behind scheduled by 3.50 hours.

Howrah Kalka Mail scheduled to reach here at 0300 hours is running late by 11:16 hours, a railway spokesman said, adding that the train is expected to reach here at 1416 hours.

Three flights - two of Jet Airways from and two Delhi and one of Spicejet from and to Delhi were cancelled, while two flights - Spicejet from Delhi and Indigo from Mumbai were delayed by 155 minutes and 32 minutes respectively.

The minimum temperatures in the two states were up to minus four degree Celsius from the normal.

In Haryana Jhajjar had a low of 3.7 degrees Celsius, Kurukshetra 4.1 degrees Celsius, Karnal 4.2 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature at other places including Rohtak, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Hissar and Sirsa were around five degrees Celsius.

In Punjab, Amritsar recorded a low of 4.3 degrees Celsius, Jalandhar 4.9 degrees Celsius, Kapurthala 4.5 degrees Celsius, while other cities including Anandpur Sahib, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Pathankot and Patiala recorded around five degrees Celsius. Meanwhile a report from Hisar said that Haryana Roadways has suspended its Hisar-Chandigarh night bus services from today in view of fog prevailing in the state particularly on this route.

Mukesh Kumar Solanki, General Manager, Hisar depot of Haryana Roadways said that the night service between Chandigarh and Hisar would remain suspended till further order.

Meanwhile, intense cold with dense fog hit rail traffic in this area with most of the trains running late.

Hisar-Gorakhdham Express train was running about seven hours late, while Hisar-Jaipur train was running about five hours late, a spokesman of railway said here today.

All government and private schools in Hisar district declared holiday for two days (December 23 and 24) in view of the intense cold wave conditions prevailing in the state.

PTI