Disturbance because of a low pressure over western U.P.
Strong North Western winds ravaged the Capital on Friday evening at 92 kilometres per hour, killing nine people and damaging three aircraft and scores of vehicles. Twelve people were also reportedly injured. The disturbance dragged down the mercury and threw the city out of gear. The storm, accompanied by rain and lightning, which struck at 4.58 p.m., was because of a low pressure over Western Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring areas.
Power supply was badly hit in most areas due to trees and branches falling over transmission lines and consequently power plants getting tripped. Rishi Raj of Delhi Transco said that these include the Dadri-Mandola, Ballabhgarh-Bamnauli, Jhatikara-Mundaka, Bawana-Abdullapur, Bawana-Bahadurgarh, Wazirabad-Geeta Colony, Mandola-Gopalpur, Mandola-Wazirabad and Bamnauli-Rohini of Delhi Transco and Power Grid.
This also led to metro and railway services getting hit. While metro services were struck stranded for an hour, more than 100 trains were delayed.
“Some local trains were cancelled and long distance trains were delayed between thirty minutes and three hours due to power disruption. Trees have also fallen on the Rohtak, Ambala and Rewari lines. The power cable over the Ghaziabad- Delhi route has also broken,” Neeraj Sharma of Northern Railway said.
Power discoms claimed they were working to restore power supply to the city before midnight.
“There is still no power here,” said B.S. Vohra of Krishna Nagar. “A tree fell on a power line near Sankat Mochan temple and the impact ripped out power meters from walls.”
Traffic came to a standstill due to branches falling off trees. Coupled with the rush of harried metro commuters, vehicular traffic came to a standstill on most arterial roads. “I was almost blown off the metro staircase in Janakpuri,” said writer Kritika S. “I had to hold on the railings, I thought I would die.”
Worried commuters returning from office were seen flagging down vehicles for a lift. In the Central Secretariat's Shastri Bhawan, a large branch damaged three cars and glass shards fell over passers-by here and at Jharkhand Bhawan in Vasant Kunj. Police barricades that had brought massive rallies to a halt with seen strewn over New Delhi district. “My clothes are flying all over Chittaranjan Park as my maid left them on the terrace,” media professional S. Ashok wrote on a social networking site. The rain evaporated soon after the storm stopped leaving an eerie semblance of normality although the city of djinns remained a mess that will take all weekend to clean. However, water logging was reported in low lying areas.
with thanks : The Hindu : LINK
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