New Delhi/Shimla/Amritsar, Dec 27 (ANI): People on Tuesday continued to shiver in cold as dense fog and intense cold wave swept across North India, with mercury plummeting below five degree Celsius in most parts.
Delhiites continued to reel under the bone chilling cold as the temperature dipped to 3.4 degree Celsius on Monday slight higher than Sunday which recorded the coldest day of the season so far with temperature falling to 2.9 degree Celsius.
The worst hit were the homeless people and roadside vendors, who were forced to light up bonfires on the roads to escape the chill.
Rajendra Singh, an auto rickshaw driver said the biting cold had taken toll on their daily earnings as most of the people remained indoors due to dip in mercury.
"It is getting very cold and because of the fog people do not get out of their houses. Our work is getting affected very badly as there are no customers available. What can a poor man do in this? Our livelihood depends on our daily earnings," said Singh.
Scores of homeless people have taken to gathering around bonfires during nights as the night shelters for the poor in Delhi are already overcrowded.
A downfall in tourist footfall was witnessed in the hill town of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh as dense fog forced authorities to cancel the trains.
Shimla has been among the favourite tourist destinations during New Year but thick fog has dampened the spirit this year.
"Every season there used be a lot of rush here but because of the dense fog, trains and reservations have been cancelled. Though tourists are thronging to Shimla in large numbers through taxis and buses but due to cancellation of trains, business is little low," said Beni Pokhiriyal, a coolie.
Residents in Amritsar in Punjab braved the chill as temperature was recorded below one degree Celsius.
Thick fog has almost brought transport system to a halt and disrupted normal life, with passengers stranded at the railway stations and airports for several hours.
"We are waiting for the train since 5 am in the morning. Trains are running very late because of the steep fall in the temperature. People are facing lot of problems as they need to wait for several hours at the station," said Daman, a passenger.
As per the media reports, the chilly weather has till now claimed 133 lives with majority of deaths reported from the state of Uttar Pradesh. (ANI)
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