``Whenever we hear a dhamaka, it sounds like the end of the world,'' says Amruti Bai (65) of Pandhana, about 20 km from the Khandwa district headquarters. For the 40,000 inhabitants of Pandhana and two dozen adjoining villages live in constant terror ever since eminent seismologist Janardhan Ganapathrao Negi warned that the frequent tremors experienced in the region since September last, are the forebodings of a major earthquake. Pandhana has been identified as the epicentre of a series of tremors -- 1,600 since September 11, 1998, the strongest being 3.2 on the Richter scale. The fact that this region of Nimad lies in the sensitive Burhanpur and Budwani-Sukta fault lines gives these tremors a sinister significance. The region experiencedmajor earthquakes on November 8, 1868 (5.7 on the Richter scale) and on March 14, 1938.

``We had almost learnt to live with terror,'' says Radhey Shyam, huddled in one of the `seismic huts' erected outside the pucca dwellings.``The Garhwal earthquake has once again brought us face to face with the grim reality.Doomsday may come any day.''

Residents of Pandhana and adjoining villages like Shekhpur, Bagmar, Pachamba and Rustampu claimed they heard two dhamakas on the day the devastating earthquake struck UP hills. Most of them now sleep outside their homes.

Though experts from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Geological Survey of India (GSI) have brushed aside Negi's panic call, the State Government doesn't want to be caught napping.

Negi, emeritus scientist at Hyderabad's National Geophysical Research Institute, had warned of a major earthquake in the Deccan just before the devastating Latur earthquake in 1993. He found a similarity in the pattern of pre-quake tremorswitnessed in Latur and Pandhana.

``We don't want to take any chances,'' says Indore Commissioner Iqbal Ahmed. ``We have prepared an elaborate crisis management plan for the Pandhana area immediately after the Jabalpur quake and rescue and relief teams are ready to act at short notice.''

Ahmed has written to IMD and GSI to train State Government scientists in monitoring seismic activity in the area. With the help of a Rs 40-lakh grant from the State Government, Bhopal's Disaster Management Institute has already started training people to cope with an earthquake.

``We have identified and trained groups of people in affected areas who will get moving as soon as disaster strikes. Responsibilities of all Government officials in the Indore division have been fixed, so that no time is lost because of confusion or lack of coordination,'' Ahmed says.

Moreover, the Government has insured -- free of cost -- all Pandhana inhabitants and those in the 23 surrounding villages, while residents themselves have beenpersuaded to get their dwellings insured.

According to Khandwa district officials, property worth Rs 600 million has been insured by the people.

The administration has set up 98 tents in Pandhana and adjoining villages. Compensation packages have been fixed at Rs 50,000 for loss of life and Rs 25,000 for minor injuries.

The Government is keeping three mobile medical vans in a state of constant readiness. All the doctors in the Indore division districts have been trained to handle quake victims. Over 5,000 units of blood have been collected and lists of people with rare blood groups have been prepared.

The authorities' concern now is that the Garhwal quake does not lead to a panic reaction in Pandhana area. When people were first told that a major earthquake could hit Pandhana anytime, some of them started selling their property and fled the area. It was only after a few months that they returned.

``Public announcement of an impending earthquake almost led to panic among the people initially,'' saysJai Nagda, a Khandwa-based journalist.

``Shopkeepers refused to give credit to the people and the economy was hit hard by the earthquake scare,'' he points out.

Gradually, when nothing happened for months despite continued dhamakas, the people who had fled Pandhana and adjoining villages started coming back. And now they hope they are prepared.