Rumours spread tremors in Ahmedabad

Rumours spread tremors in Ahmedabad
Express News Service

Ahmedabad, Feb 2: Shaken by the killer quake on January 26, edgy residents of Ahmedabad are now vulnerable to any bit of rumours. While a large section of population has been sleeping outdoors since the quake, the rumour generated by a reported `prediction' by a little-known astrologer has spread unprecedented scare.

Officially, there is no prediction or warning of an quake from either the Indian Meteorological Department nor scientists. On the contrary, all the experts have been re-iterating that quakes cannot be predicted.

However, markets have announced closure on Saturday. Vegetable vendors warned they are not opening shops. Hundreds of state government and private employees have applied for leave and are packing up. Women and children gathered at temples, singing bhajans and praying. Newspaper offices, police control room and government offices are being flooded with calls from anxious people.

While rumours of the ``predicted quake'' and its devastation spread like wild fire, people were calling each other in offices and homes imploring them to get out of the city.

Families which moved into their homes in the past couple of days after spending several nights on the streets are out again in the open. If they are not moving, neighbours are forcibly ensuring that they get out. Tents have been put up and community kitchens set up in parking lots and grounds.

Some people have started shifting expensive belongings to ground floor flats and houses of relatives or friends. All of them are keeping bags packed with valuable things, jewellery, money, clothes and essential items. Most banks remained busy all day.

Panic-stricken residents of several multi-storeyed buildings in the city demanded a thorough survey of buildings by senior government engineers to ascertain their safety. They wanted to know if the buildings will withstand another tremor.