Mock drill in Ggn to deal with earthquake

Gurugram: In the first of its kind initiative, the state government in collaboration with the Centre held a mock drill in all the 22 districts of Haryana to deal with an earthquake of the magnitude of more than 8 Richter scale. In Gurugram also, major public agencies along with Indian Army, NSG and civil defence volunteers participated in mock drill to tackle the emergency situation if and when it occurs.

At around 10 am on Thursday when the sound of the hooter went off, the city officials were on their toes. Important locations like MGF mall, HUDA City Centre Metro station and Management Development Institute (MDI) saw fleet of fire tender vehicles and various officials trying to deal with emergency situations.

The exercise is significant especially for key place like Gurugram as geographically it is placed in a high risk zone. The large number of high rise buildings in the city further increases the risk. A comprehensive report will be prepared on the exercise that was carried on Thursday. "A mock drill was conducted as a part of our preparation in dealing with the emergency situations. Not only are the public agencies within the district but also Indian Army and officials were present during the operations," said Bharat Bhushan Gogia, sub district magistrate of Gurugram.

"While this kind of operation has occurred for the first time in the state, this is of utmost significance in a city like Haryana where large number of people are residing and working in high rise buildings. In case of emergency, we will have to take prevent loss of lives," he added. An official responsible for administrative matters at Unitech Cyber Green Park said, "Gurugram like Delhi is susceptible to earthquakes. Most of the builders however have invested a great deal towards safety techniques while constructing the residential and commercial complexes. These complexes are able to withstand such tremors."