I-Day at Red Fort: Visitors bring raincoats along to hear PM's speech

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White, green and blue raincoats dotted the historic Red Fort premises on Thursday after early-morning showers and subsequent drizzle as people gathered to hear the prime minister on Independence Day enjoyed the pleasant weather.

The showers, however, left the Red Fort lawns soggy.

For a major part of the function, people did not face any trouble due to cool breeze.

Children, who started converging at the venue as early as 5am, had brought raincoats along.

Dignitaries and special invitees seated on the ramparts of the 17th-century monument were also seen wearing transparent raincoats as it drizzled intermittently during the PM's address.

"This was the first time I attended the Independence Day celebration. I was really excited to come here and the weather was really good. The drizzle and fresh air just made my day," said Pooja, a Class 6 student.

Anushka Bansal, a student of Rajkiya Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, said, "We were given caps and water bottles as a precaution against the heat. The weather did not cause any problem. However, the accumulation of mud at a few spots due to rains led to some inconvenience."

The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides official figures for the city, recorded 10.8 mm rainfall till 8:30 am on Thursday and humidity levels at 97 per cent.

Heavy waterlogging was reported from a few areas in the city that affected traffic in Badarpur and Mundka. 

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