After tremors, life back to normal

PATNA: It seemed as if Patna was back on track on Wednesday after experiencing tremors for four consecutive days followed by high-velocity wind and thunderstorm on Tuesday. Children were back to schools and most of the market places, cinema halls and malls were again full to their capacity.
St Joseph’s Convent High school principal Sister Lucina CJ said the attendance at her school was normal like any other day barring a few absentees due to illness. “We instructed all the students at the assembly to use a particular staircase and, God forbid, in case of any eventuality, teachers have been instructed to bring them quietly to the ground. We also observed one-minute silence for the earthquake victims,” she said.
Loyola High School principal Brother Satheesh also said the school attendance was normal and children were also comfortable. “Actually, the mock drill organized by NDRF in February this year proved to be very helpful. Children were trained how to act in such a situation and they did the same,” he said.
Rakesh Ranjan Pathak, who came to pick his daughter from St Joseph’s Convent High School after dismissal, said, “It was important to send her to school because I wanted her to take things normally. It is better she spends time with her friends and focuses on her studies.”
Even the cinema halls, which remained empty for the last few days, witnessed huge footfall. Ranjit Sharma, sales and marketing head of one of the cinema halls, said they had to shut their hall on Saturday and Sunday. “We refunded the amount of advance booking or gave the ticket of another day, depending on the choice of viewers. Though we opened our hall on Monday and Tuesday, hardly 10 persons came to watch the show, that too only youths. I think this was because of 72 hours high alert.”
Sharma was happy as the footfall was good like normal days on Wednesday. He said, “Earlier, we were not opening our online booking site but seeing the crowd, we opened it this afternoon and, in a few hours, we sold all the tickets.”
Even a famous supermarket of the city was once again jam-packed. Mohammad Wasim, its operation manager, said, “After second tremor on Saturday, we got instruction from our zonal head to close the store. But we opened it from Sunday, though we were closing it a little early. But from Tuesday evening, I can see huge crowd, and as on every Wednesday we give some special offer, the crowd is too good.”