Fog delays flights, trains and road traffic in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Air, rail and road traffic were severely delayed on Thursday as dense fog enveloped large parts of Odisha, including the capital, inconveniencing passengers.

Niraj Kumar, a professor at a private university, said many flights got delayed at the city airport. “Many passengers could not even find vacant seats at the airport while waiting to board their delayed flights. If the flights had taken off as per schedule, such chaos could have been avoided,” he added.


Prasanna Pradhan, director of Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA), said the airport was not functional for two hours in the morning.

Fog also severely affected train operations. Puri-Rourkela Vande Bharat Express, the premium train of the railways, departed Puri station at 10:17 am instead of 5 am on Thursday. Other Vande Bharat Express trains were also running late.

Similarly, Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express reached New Delhi late by nine hours and 14 minutes. New Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express was running late by more than four hours on Thursday.

Besides, many of the superfast, express and local trains were also running late. Anand Vihar Terminal-Puri Purushottam Express was running late by six hours. Rishikesh-Puri Kalinga Utkal Express (18478) reached Puri late by 10 hours and 38 minutes. Anand Vihar Terminal-Puri Neelanchal Express reached Puri late by 12 hours and 18 minutes.

Inordinate delay of trains left the passengers a hassled lot. “I should have reached Bhubaneswar at 4:10 pm on December 24. I had a connecting train to Berhampur at 7:35 pm on Wednesday, but the train reached Bhubaneswar at 4:20 am on Thursday,” said Mithun Nayak from Ganjam.

East Coast Railway (ECoR) said the trains are running late because of dense fog. “Heavy fog was observed at Talcher-Hindol-Budhapank sections from 2:30 am, Barang-Nirakarpur section from 4:30 am, and at Puri from 4:30 am. Trains were running at a restricted speed due to fog, and the delay was a resultant effect,” said a spokesperson from ECoR.

Even buses ran late due to fog at different places. “I slowed down the bus due to fog. There is a chance of an accident if we drive the bus fast,” said Chagala Behera, a bus driver.




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