Chennai: Flight operations in Chennai were suspended for at least five hours this morning due to thick smog and poor visibility on the runway as Tamil Nadu celebrates the beginning of Pongal festivities with 'Bhogi'. The celebrations started this morning with people setting bonfires on the streets with agricultural and household waste. The Air Quality Index in several parts of the city was in the "hazardous" category. Train services too were affected.
Over 40 ten international and domestic were either cancelled or delayed. Flight operations have resumed. A senior officer at the airport said earlier this morning, "The visibility has dipped to 50 metres and since 3:30 am we have no flight activity."
Southern Railway officials said "most" inter-city and inter-state trains arriving in the city were delayed by "an average of 30-40 minutes," while outbound trains ran slow. Suburban rail services were also delayed by about half an hour but resumed normal operations by around 9 am, they said.
Bonfires made using mats, paper, clothes and cardboard boxes dotted the streets of Chennai from as early as four in the morning. T Saravanan, whose family set fire to their old household items in front of their home in Thiruvanmiyur area and danced to drumbeats said 'Bhogi' is an important part of the Tamil culture. "We know it pollutes the air so we avoid (burning) plastics and tyre," he said.
Not far away, another Chennai resident believes burning old items brings good luck. "Bhogi burning purifies the air," P Karuppan said.
Over the last ten years, the pollution control board in Tamil Nadu has been raising awareness ahead of Pongal, asking people and children in particular to stop burning materials. They also award youngsters who spread the message. A senior officer said, "Bhogi is still a challenge as it's seen as part of a festival. We've brought down burning of tyres and plastics but a lot of awareness still need to be raised."
Bharat Jain, whose flight to Mumbai has been delayed said, "It's in a mess. I have an important business meet in Mumbai. All would get off track."
Over 40 ten international and domestic were either cancelled or delayed. Flight operations have resumed. A senior officer at the airport said earlier this morning, "The visibility has dipped to 50 metres and since 3:30 am we have no flight activity."
Bonfires made using mats, paper, clothes and cardboard boxes dotted the streets of Chennai from as early as four in the morning. T Saravanan, whose family set fire to their old household items in front of their home in Thiruvanmiyur area and danced to drumbeats said 'Bhogi' is an important part of the Tamil culture. "We know it pollutes the air so we avoid (burning) plastics and tyre," he said.
Pongal 2018: People set bonfires on Chennai streets from as early as 4 am.
Advertisement
Bharat Jain, whose flight to Mumbai has been delayed said, "It's in a mess. I have an important business meet in Mumbai. All would get off track."
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Hoax Bomb Threat On Dubai-Bound Chennai Flight Delays It By 12 Hours Pongal 2024: 5 Delicious Foods To Include In Your Traditional Pongal Lunch Menu Man In Chennai Gets Stuck In Lift For 30 Minutes Amid Cyclone Michaung 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing Mob Vandalised Kolkata Doctor Rape Murder Case Crime Scene? Cops Respond Ayatollah Khamenei Warns Of "Divine Wrath" If Iran Backs Down Against Israel In PM Modi's Independence Day Speech, A Call For "24x7 For 2047" Oropouche Virus Kills 2 In Brazil: All About The Rare Disease Punjab Toll Plaza Blunder: Man Charged Rs 220 While Relaxing At Home Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.