CHANDIGARH: Airports in Delhi and Chandigarh on Wednesday bore the brunt of heavy smog: 10 flights were diverted from the national capital, including six to Jaipur and one to Lucknow. And in Punjab, where a record 7,112 stubble burning cases have been reported, CM Bhagwant Mann’s flight could not take off from Chandigarh for Bathinda, forcing him to travel by road.
On Tuesday, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar was unable to land at Ludhiana due to poor visibility. The plane carrying Dhankhar was diverted to Amritsar International Airport, where Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney and Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar rushed to receive the Vice-President. After landing at Amritsar, the plane got refueled and took off to Indore.
Flights between Delhi and Amritsar on Wednesday morning were delayed by over two hours due to very low visibility amid hazardous AQI in both the cities.
Low visibility due to smog has also caused inconvenience to commuters. The air quality in Chandigarh remained in the “very poor” category with experts suggesting people curtail outdoor activity and keep a check on biomass burning. The AQI at the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana was 372, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.