Chandigarh:
Heavy dust-haze engulfed Chandigarh on Thursday grounding all commercial flights during the day as visibility levels dropped considerably.
"Since morning we have not operated any flights. No flights reached here from Delhi due to heavy dust-haze in Chandigarh's atmosphere," Chandigarh Airport Director, HS Toor said.
He said that the visibility levels had hovered between 600-700 metres. "We hope it rains so that the dust settles".
Mr Toor said the airport had Instrument Landing System which was CAT-III compatible, but the approaching lights on the ground were not compatible yet and they were expecting to gradually upgrade it so that the flights could be made operational when the visibility levels drop.
Dusty weather prevailed in Chandigarh and some parts of Punjab and Haryana.
A Meteorological department official said that the phenomenon could have occurred as a result of the dust in the atmosphere. This, in turn, is a result of winds blowing in the hot and dry weather.