Fog engulfs north India, leaves 451 dead so far
By ANIThursday, January 21, 2010
NEW DELHI/ UTTAR PRADESH/ PUNJAB/ HARYANA/ BIHAR - There is no respite from the dense fog this winter and the death toll is now reported to be over 451.
The dense fog has severely hit road, rail and air traffic in Delhi. Several flight operations have been disrupted as the visibility reduced to around 50 meters on Thursday morning.
Forty-eight flights have been affected due to the dense fog. Around 15 departing domestic flights have been cancelled and nine others are delayed.
It is reported that around 11 arriving International flights and 10 departures have been delayed.
Fog began to descend over the airport last night around 8 pm reducing the general visibility to around 50 meters and within half an hour the general visibility dropped to zero, while runway visibility to a low of 100 meters.
The railway commuters are also having a tough time as around 20 trains have been cancelled and over 30 trains rescheduled.
Meanwhile, around 23 more persons are reported to be dead due to the cold in Uttar Pradesh since Wednesday evening.
The Meteorological office said that Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh recorded a temperature of 3.5 degree Celsius, followed by Agra, where mercury level dipped to 4.4 degree Celsius.
The maximum temperature is also reported to have plunged 5 to 10 degrees below normal in Bihar, Punjab and Haryana. (ANI)
|Marathi language not compulsory to get taxi permit: Chavan|National[Mumbai{Mumbai, Jan 21 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Thursday backed out from his earlier statement that in order to get a taxi permit, taxi drivers need to speak Marathi, Hindi or Gujarati.
Chavan said, “The decision of the Cabinet has gone by the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles rules that dates back to 1989. As per that rule, there are two important portions. Rule four of the Maharashtra motor vehicles clearly says that for a person to have a permit, 15 years of domicile is compulsory.”
“The second rule is also twenty years old, framed in 1989. It says that for a taxi badge for a driver, working knowledge of local language is necessary. The local language can be Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati,” added Chavan.
The Maharashtra Government had on Wednesday framed new rules for recruitment of taxi-drivers in Mumbai.
The new rule said that a person applying for driver’s post must have fifteen years of domicile of Maharashtra.
The new rule formed also stressed on the fact that the person must know how to read and write Marathi. (ANI)
