India, Dec. 25 -- New Delhi

Hot-air ballooning in Delhi, after a much-publicised and enthusiastic start, seems to have lost its sheen as decreasing footfall on weekdays has led to the authorities currently restricting operations to weekends, a spot check by HT found.

Officials of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which runs the project, said that since the launch, the balloons have taken to air only for four hours over the two weekends. There was also no balloon ride on the first weekend after its launch on November 29, as the Baansera Park was booked for the Jashn-e-Rekhta cultural festival.

"There are hardly four or five people during the weekdays, so we are operating the ride only on weekends for now," said Vinod Baharee, who m...