Cold wave sweeps North India, claims first life in Raj

Cold wave coupled with fog hit normal life in most parts of Northern plains and claimed its first victim in Jaipur, even as hilly states of Uttarakhand and J&K battled the chill.

Several trains of North-Western Railways were running late by hours due to fog in UP, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi, a railways spokesman said. Aviation regulator DGCA has also directed all schedule domestic airlines to operate only with CAT-III complaint aircraft along with trained crew during fog hours. Cold wave intensified in Kashmir Valley with Leh being the coldest place in J&K as the mercury dropped to –14 degrees. He said the nearby Kargil town recorded a low of –11.4 degrees Celsius.