Janjivan Bureau
Patna:Shiva Enclave and Dev Siddhi Plaza apartments in Kankerbagh area of Patna were on Saturday witness to quake-related panic of the worst kind with most of the apartment’s 100-odd residents rushing out of their flats bag and baggage to spend the Saturday-Sunday night under the open sky. The ‘exodus’ was prompted by purported news reports, albeit unconfirmed, that the tremors which shook everyone several times throughout the day, were likely to strike again around midnight.
Most of these families are Punjabis. Around 7.30pm on Saturday, this reporter saw elderly women seated on bed sheets spread outside the apartments chanting ‘Wahe Guru’, apparently seeking divine intervention for everyone’s safety. Though menfolk were away at work, their homemakers had rolled out beds on the floor in the open spaces around the apartments. They had also brought eatables like sliced breads, butter and biscuits for dinner. Bottles of milk and water were also stocked for children.
Ironically, however, no one could specifically tell this reporter who forecast fresh quake at midnight. Sonia Kaur with her 4-year-old daughter Arsheen in her arms said everyone was saying there were reports of midnight quake in the media. “I haven’t cooked anything because I am afraid of going inside my house. I have milk which I will give to my daughter; rest of us will eat biscuits,” she said.
