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Gurgaon shook and shivered

[ 8 Oct, 2005 2343hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

NEW DELHI: For Shammi Kachru, living on the 22nd floor in DLF's posh Hamilton Court, the sight of the chandelier swinging and grazing against the fan was the first indicator that things were not right. "I was in the kitchen and thought it was just a dizzy spell. But then I saw the lights flickering and the chandelier swinging crazily," said a rattled Kachru. For Gurgaonites living in high-rises, Saturday morning was a scene out of a horror movie. Even as the ground shook and windows rattled, those on the top floors could see knick-knacks fall off the mantelpiece, lights flicker and cracks appear on the wall.The plush multi-storey apartments of the satellite city, it seems, are not structurally strong enough to resist quakes as those which rocked the city today. Added a still-in-shock Kachru, "I barely had time to pick up my petrified dog and run for the stairs." Sipra Narula didn't have it so easy. Living on the top most floor of Hamilton Court, the Narula's were just getting set for a leisurely Saturday breakfast when the wall along their verandah railing came crashing down. "There were already cracks from the 2001 earthquake. Today's quake just decimated it completely. My maid was barely saved as she jumped away when the wall came down," added Sipra. So how much of the damage could have been avoided?

While reactions of residents squarely blamed the builders, developers claimed that all possible precautions had been taken. Said Vijay Vancheswar, spokesperson for DLF, "All our buildings follow seismic zone 5 specifications, which is a level higher than the mandatory zone 4 laid down by the government." When asked about the structural damage that had taken place, Vancheswar claimed that he hadn't received any complaints. He added, "Earthquakes are one-off events. Some damage could take place but that can't be helped." The damage, of course, wasn't limited to a Hamilton Court. Residents of Laburnum, Sushant Lok, ITC complained that two floors of their building developed cracks. In fact, tales of cracks appearing, chairs toppling over even as people tried to climb down multiple flight of stairs abounded. For many, the sheer effort of trying to make it out of their multi-storey apartments in time proved to be the biggest problem. Said a senior citizen living in Essel Towers, "Though announcements were made to take the stairs, I just couldn't move! Even the stairs were swinging." About Us| Advertise with Us | Careers @ TIL | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Feedback | Sitemap | RssFeeds Copyright 2007 Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service

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