That passengers lose their temper is explicable although not without irony. One has heard of cold anger or cold causing cold but not cold triggering fury. Who should be blamed if a train is delayed by 27 hours? It is futile to blame the concerned authorities whose sole concern can only be the safety of commuters. There are two precautions they perhaps ought to take. First and foremost is that they should always be available to the passengers feeling harassed in the present circumstances --- their presence is needed to convey that they are one with the travelling public in unfavourable circumstances not of their making. Secondly, they should resist the temptation of giving deadlines about the arrivals and departures; it is not something solely in their hands in view of the continuing unkind weather. They end up drawing flak for making false promises when their time-limits go haywire. Worse still, the situation is bad not only in the areas under their charge but also in the rest of the northern parts of the country. Their primary concern, therefore, should be to look after stranded travellers and make sure that rail tracks and runways are in perfect working order.
Whether or not the crops are affected during this bitter period is not of much relevance. The reality is that there has already been huge loss in this regard on account of deficient rainfall. We are feeling the pinch in terms of the rise in prices of essential commodities. Almost all of us are not able to work according to our full capacity. It is a winter that we may remember for long.