NEW DELHI: Thousands of travellers were stranded in Delhi and the national capital region (NCR) on New Year day as the worst fog in several years halted air, rail and road traffic. Chaos reigned at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) as well over 300 flights were cancelled or delayed due to the fog, seen as a combination of the winter chill that dipped temperatures as low as 5.7 degree Celsius, and the high levels of pollution that the region has become notorious for.

The Railways said dozens of trains were cancelled or delayed in Delhi, NCR and in other parts of north India.

Not a single flight took off from IGI after 5am. Domestic and international flights in the heavily-packed airport remained on hold until 11am. Even by afternoon, only a few had flown out as the huge backlog had created utter chaos.

Airport officials said that 265 of the cancelled flights were domestic and that priority is given to the nearly 40 international flights which have been held up.

There was total mess in Terminals 1 and 2, among the most busy in the country, with overflowing passengers sitting on the floor all over Terminal 1 and 2. The airport staff, often accused of lack of courtesy, were seen fighting with the passengers at many places, unable to provide precise answers on when the planes will take off.

Planes could be seen queued up at the tarmac. Passengers complained they were not being provided adequate information. A rush was seen at counters as soon as a flight is announced. Officials said part of those rushing to counters were from other flights and hence created confusion.

Officials said flights cannot take off unless there is a visibility of 125 metres. Visibility was just 50 metres in the morning at IGI, an airport with CAT IIIB, a system of advanced technology for low-visibility landings.

The Northern Railways, meanwhile, said 15 trains have been cancelled, 56 trains coming to Delhi were running late and 20 have been rescheduled.

Traffic was moving slowly on Delhi’s roads. In some intersections, long queues of vehicles formed in the morning. Delhi Police issued warnings for motorists, with tips for safe driving.

On Sunday, 54 domestic and 11 international flights were delayed in inclement weather.

Jet Airways notified on Twitter early on Monday that its Dammam, Bahrain & Guwahati are off. Indigo said its flights from Delhi as well as to Delhi were “affected.” The fog was a combination of the winter chill and the pollution that has gripped Delhi and NCR, experts said. Temperature recorded on Monday morning was 5.7 degree Celsius. The Central weather bureau, IMD, said: “This is the coldest day of the season so far. Earlier, it had dropped to 6.3 degrees on Dec.24. It is likely to drop further to around 5 degrees Celsius over the next few days.” Pollution levels have reached hazardous levels once again, with doctors warning that children will face serious health problems if exposed to the dirty air.

The Central System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) said levels of Particulate Matter (PM) are in the “very poor” category.

It is observed that dust from construction sites, industrial emissions and vehicle fumes have been sealed in by cool temperature and stagnant winds. Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi’s Shadipur was recorded at 332, and Siri Fort at 388. Both are in the “hazardous” category.

A statistical handbook of 2017, released by the Delhi government, shows that death due to respiratory diseases increased from 6,502 in 2015 to 9,149 in 2016. That’s a 40 per cent increase. At the same time, the Central government and its agencies are in heated arguments while the elected government of Delhi says it is not allowed to do anything effective.

A Supreme Court-mandated panel had drafted the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) that is under implementation since a year ago. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has also mooted a plan, besides the Prime Minister’s office itself. None of these have, however, produced anything positive.