Due to low visibility in Jammu and adjoining areas on Monday, several flights were cancelled, causing distress to the travellers and also forcing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take a road trip to the winter capital.
An official told reporters that all evening flights going to Jammu were cancelled on Sunday, while several more flights were delayed on Monday morning due to poor visibility.
In a post on X, Omar wrote, “Poor visibility in Jammu meant a sudden, last-minute, road trip. Nothing flew in or out of Jammu yesterday, so I had to saddle up and take the road to the winter capital.”
“Looking at the visibility from the balcony of the official residence, I don’t think flights will be operating any time soon today either. You can barely see the sun in the haze,” he said in another post.
Cancellations and delays affected services from airlines, including Spice Jet, IndiGo, and Alliance Air, leaving passengers stranded at Delhi, Srinagar, and Jammu airports.
Meanwhile, the State MET department, responsible for checking the air visibility every half an hour, said that smog-like weather conditions will remain in the plain and border areas until it rains.
Meteorologist Dr Mahendra Singh said that these days, smog-like weather prevails in the plain border areas, and that the biggest reason for this is the burning of stubble and other crop residues in the fields.
“The pressure of the western disturbance is building up in the coming days. Due to this, there is a high possibility of light rain and snowfall in some areas of north Kashmir. Another pressure is seen building up at the end of this week, after which the smog will reduce,” he said.
Places in North Kashmir, including the offbeat tourist destination Gurez Valley, have received a fresh snowfall on Sunday, while the rains are expected to occur in the plains in Kashmir Valley from today.
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