Night temperatures drop sharply after spell of rain in Delhi, air quality sees slight improvement
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi on Saturday witnessed sharp drop in temperatures and a slight improvement in air quality after the spell of rain a day ago.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Safdarjung station recorded a minimum temperature of 7.6 degrees Celsius, 0.1 degrees above the season's normal, marking a sharp fall from Friday's low of 13.7 degrees Celsius, which was the highest in four years.
Among the other major stations, Palam and Lodhi Road both saw minimum temperatures of 6.8 degree Celsius, while The Ridge recorded 6.6 degrees and Ayanagar 6 degrees Celsius, the coldest.
The air quality saw a slight improvement on Saturday morning, with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 256, in the 'poor' category, against 293 on Friday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) Sameer app.
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The air quality was 'poor' at 29 stations while it was 'very poor' at four stations. The AQI data for three stations were not available while writing this report. Among the stations, Dwarka recorded the lowest AQI of 113.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
The Air Quality Early Warning System has forecast Delhi's air quality to remain in the 'poor' category for the next two days. The outlook for the subsequent six days shows that it is likely to be in the 'poor' to 'very poor' category.
According to the IMD, the maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be in the ranges of 17 to 19 degrees Celsius and 6 to 8 degrees Celsius, respectively. The minimum temperatures will be near normal and the maximum temperatures will be 1.3 to 3.3 degrees Celsius below normal, it stated.
The IMD has also predicted generally cloudy sky and shallow to moderate fog during morning hours, with strong surface winds with speeds ranging from 10-20 kilometres per hour.
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East Coast Railway achieves Rs 23,000 crore freight earning in 294 days
Bhubaneswar (PTI): The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has achieved Rs 23,000 crore freight earnings in 294 days during the current financial year, an official statement said.
According to a statement issued by ECoR, it reached this landmark in 294 days during the current financial year 2025–26, on January 19, which is 27 days earlier than the previous financial year 2024–25, when the same was achieved in 321 days.
"This remarkable performance reflects the sustained growth trajectory and operational efficiency of the zone," a senior officer said.
Till December 2025, the ECoR's total originating earnings increased from Rs 21,543 crore in 2024–25 to Rs 23,959 crore in 2025–26, registering an overall growth of 11.21 per cent.
During the period, the passenger earnings rose from Rs 1,764.32 crore in 2024–25 to Rs 1,835.91 crore in 2025–26, while earnings from goods (freight) witnessed a significant jump from Rs 19,482.63 crore to Rs 21,749.38 crore, underlining the zone’s strong freight base.
This apart, sundry earnings increased substantially from Rs 155.95 crore to Rs 239.15 crore, indicating diversification and improved ancillary revenue streams.
In terms of freight loading performance up to December, 2025, the ECoR has also delivered an outstanding performance in goods loading and has emerged as the number one zone in Indian Railways.
"The freight loading achieved up to December 2025 was 209.97 million tonne (MT), compared to the previous year's loading of 188.64 MT, the zone registered an absolute increase of 21.33 MT," the official said.
