Delhi: All schools in Delhi are scheduled to open physically on January 15, i.e., Monday. The schools are opening as the extended winter break ends but as a precautionary measure for the pollution and
Delhi: All schools in Delhi are scheduled to open physically on January 15, i.e., Monday. The schools are opening as the extended winter break ends but as a precautionary measure for the pollution and foggy situation, no school, including those on double shift, is allowed to open at 9 AM. Moreover, the schools are also ordered not to schedule classes beyond 5 PM in order to ensure the safety of students, as per a report by the Hinduatan Times.
Only a week earlier, Delhi education minister Atishi had announced that the winter break would be extended till January 12 due to the extreme cold wave situation in Delhi. “Schools in Delhi will remain closed for the next 5 days due to the prevailing cold weather conditions, for students from nursery to class 5,” Atishi said on herX handle.
Dense Fog Blankets North India
Northern India woke up to thick fog on Sunday, facing cold wave conditions as visibility dropped to zero at several places, including Delhi.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), visibility was recorded as ‘zero for the first time this winter season in Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, Patiala, Ambala, Chandigarh, Palam, Safdarjung (New Delhi), Bareilly, Lucknow, Bahraich, Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Tezpur.
The national capital shivered in the cold weather, with the average minimum temperature dropping to almost 3 degrees Celsius on Sunday morning.
The minimum temperature in Delhi’s Safdarjung area was recorded at 3.5 degrees Celsius. Similarly, the minimum temperature in Palam was 5.9 degrees Celsius, 3.4 degrees Celsius in Lodhi Road, 4.0 in Ayanagar, and 4.4 degrees Celsius in Ridge at 8:30 AM.
Delhi IMD Forecast
As per IMD data at 5:30 AM today, very dense fog was observed in isolated parts of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, and East Uttar Pradesh, while dense fog conditions were observed in isolated parts of Jammu, Chandigarh, West Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and South Interior Karnataka.
As per IMD data, visibility was recorded below 200 meters in Jammu division, Punjab, Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, and Tripura on Sunday morning. Also, moderate fog was observed in Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
Following dense fog conditions in the national capital, the Delhi police advised commuters to drive slowly and maintain proper distance. Traffic was impaired in several parts of Delhi as thick fog caused low visibility.
Delhi Bound Train Delays
More than 20 passenger trains were delayed due to dense fog and low visibility in the national capital.
According to Northern Railways, three trains are delayed by around six hours, namely the Amritsar-Nanded Express, the Katihar-Amritsar Express, and the Jammutawi-Ajmer Pooja Express.
At least four trains are running late by 3-3.30 hours, including Azamgarh-Delhi Kaifiyat Express, Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express, Rewa-Anand Vihar Express, and Kamakhya-Delhi Junction Btahmputra Express, as per the railways’ data.
Further, according to the railways, four Delhi-bound trains, namely Prayagraj-New Delhi Express, Ambedkarnagar-Katra, Hyderabad-New Delhi Express, and Manikpur-Nizamuddin Express, are running behind schedule by around 2-2.30 hours.
(With inputs from agencies)
