Tremor rattles Kolkata: Offices, schools, houses empty out as city rushes to safety

Kolkata: Junior union minister Sukanta Majumdar, speaking at a programme in Park Street on Friday afternoon, paused and asked, "Should I stop?" as some people in the audience got up, scurrying for an exit from the venue. Kolkata had started feeling the ripple-effect of the earthquake that hit Nayabazar about 100km away.Panic was writ large on the faces of everyone present at the press conference, like people in other parts of the city, as a 52-second tremor – the longest in recent memory – sent shockwaves on Friday afternoon. After pausing for a while, Majumdar tried to ease the anxiety, saying: "I think the tremors are hinting towards initiation of the election period in Bengal."
The tremors also disrupted multiple classrooms. Supplementary exams for HS students, CBSE classes 10 and 12, and ISC were underway when the tremors were felt. Bhawanipur Mitra Institution headmaster Raja Dey said: "Though we only have seven students who were writing their supplementary exams, we immediately evacuated them from the classroom. They were given extra time to complete their paper."At Sarsuna Law College, third-semester exams were underway when the tremors led to panic inside the classroom as examinees and examiners contemplated whether to rush down. Exams remained disrupted for five minutes or so before they resumed.At Vivekananda Mission School, students were just about finishing their final exams when they realised the fan shaking. There was tension for the first few minutes. The students were given five minutes extra for the confusion. At Delhi Public School Megacity in New Town, the school sent messages to parents, alerting them that all students and staff members were safe during the tremors. "The School Management and staff acted promptly and responsibly, immediately initiating evacuation procedures as per our safety protocol. All children were calmly escorted out of the building and assembled in designated safe areas under close supervision," the school wrote to parents.Though no major damage was immediately reported, the earthquake at 1.22 pm left behind a wave of panic and anxious phone calls across neighbourhoods. "I was working on a presentation at my seventh-floor office when the desk shook. The glass water bottle was trembling, and the glass windows started vibrating. We immediately ran downstairs as the security guards rushed in front of the lift, asking employees not to use it," said Tanima Mondal, who works at an MNC on Park Circus Connector.Similar was the reaction of office-goers in Salt Lake, Sector V, Dalhousie, and Park Street, where people paused meetings and stepped out. "It lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to cause panic," said an executive working near Park Street.In high-rise pockets of New Town, Rajarhat, and south Kolkata, several residents said the shaking felt stronger on the upper floors. "The ceiling fan was swaying, and the cupboard doors began to rattle, and I felt the building was swaying. I am well aware of this feeling and knew it was yet another earthquake. Everyone in our tower took the stairs to rush to the open area in the complex," said Rajesh Gupta, who lives on the 33rd floor of South City.Preparations for the Rajya Sabha elections were underway at the assembly, with several ministers and MLAs in attendance. Some were in their offices, while others were busy with election-related work when the tremor shook the building. Forest minister Birbaha Hansda said, "I was speaking to my younger sister on the phone. She told me, 'I am sitting on the bed and it is shaking.' The earthquake was felt in Jhargram as well."TMC MLA Shyamal Mondal said, "The MLA of Falta, Swapan Naskar, and I were chatting while standing on the Assembly stairs. Suddenly, I felt dizzy. Then I saw all the assembly staff rushing out from inside. The earthquake was felt across my constituency, Baruipur, Sonarpur, Canning, and the entire South 24 Parganas district."