The Hindu : Front Page : Quake warning in Assam

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 03, 2005

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Front Page

Quake warning in Assam

By Sushanta Talukdar

GUWAHATI, JAN. 2. The Assam Government put all districts on maximum alert today in the wake of a warning by scientists in the United States that the aftershocks of the killer-quake off Sumatra were moving northwards and could trigger a major quake in Assam.

At a hurriedly convened high-level meeting, the Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, ordered all district authorities and Government departments to keep ambulances, boats, bulldozers, tents and stock other essential items for rescue and relief operations on standby. Mr. Gogoi also ordered mock drills of rescue and relief operations at the block and panchayat levels.

He told department heads, including the Directors General of Police and Civil Defence, that he would inspect the drills.

`Must be prepared'

"Although we have not received any official warning we must be prepared for any eventuality and take measures to minimise damage in the event of any disaster," Mr. Gogoi told The Hindu .

The meeting decided to extend a disaster management programme to all the 29 districts of the State.

Till now only 12 flood-prone districts were covered. It was also decided to launch a massive week-long awareness drive, beginning January 8, among school and college students and the general public by imparting training to NGOs, Scouts and Guides and panchayat workers.

The Government ordered identification of high-rise buildings in Guwahati which do not have adequate room for fire-tenders to manoeuvre and asked the district administration to evolve an alternative strategy for rescue operations in them in the event of a quake.

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