Gurgaon is fogged out, roads deserted

Gurgaon residents woke up to a chilly and windy morning on Tuesday as a dense fog blanketed most parts of the city. The roads largely wore a deserted look as commuters preferred to stay indoors.

Residents woke up to a chilly and windy morning on Tuesday as a dense fog blanketed most parts of the city. The roads largely wore a deserted look as commuters preferred to stay indoors.

At several places across the city, people were seen huddling around bonfires. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

At several places across the city, people were seen huddling around bonfires.While tea vendors did brisk business as several residents stopped for a steaming cuppa, watchmen, milkmen and schoolchildren were the worst hit.

As a dense fog shrouded the city in the morning, the commuters who were out and about at the time were a hassled lot as visibility dropped to a precarious low. Due to near-zero visibility, traffic on the expressway was hit. The bone-chilling winds and fog also affected schoolchildren who scrambled to catch the morning ride. Bus services were also hit on account of poor visibility.

The minimum temperature was reported at 5.3°C on Tuesday and it is likely to fall by 1 to 2 degrees over the next 24 hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 18°C.

“City buses plying from Sector 57 in the morning were delayed by half-an-hour”, Joginder Singh, resident of Sushant Lok-2, said.

It wasn’t until 9 am that the fog cleared partially and the sun peeped out. People still huddled around bonfires as a cold wave swept through the city. Residents who stepped out braving the chill were wrapped in layers of woollens.

Owing to poor visibility, motorists had to switch on the headlights or get the wipers going while driving.

Residents, who had been hoping for some respite from the cold after the Lohri celebrations, were a disappointed lot. “Our grandparents said the temperature will start rising after Lohri, but it seems the mercury has only dropped further and the winds have picked up. It’s getting hard to step out of the house in the morning,” Vanshika Singh, a resident of Sector 45, said.

“With heavy fog descending on the city, the chill really shook us to the bone. It was even difficult to hang clothes out to dry,” Kavita Chillar, a resident of Sector 30, said.

An IMD official said the region will see moderate to heavy fog over the week and the cold wave would prevail too.

The Met officials said the mercury could drop further as a fresh western disturbance is expected to cast a cold spell in the region by the end of this week.

The IMD said with the fog expected to continue over the week, people should take adequate precautions while commuting.

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