Tremors sway, shock Gurgaon

Residents of several high-rise towers in Gurgaon had a harrowing time as earthquake tremors shook them out of sleep around 2am on Wednesday.

Residents of several high-rise towers in Gurgaon had a harrowing time as earthquake tremors shook them out of sleep around 2 am on Wednesday.

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As the buildings swayed a bit, residents of condominiums, including Gurgaon’s highest residential tower Hamilton Court Towers in DLF City, Central Park, Sector 56 (the hub of more than 100 towers) and

others rushed out of their homes. The earthquake reminded people of October 2005 when thousands of people had gathered on the streets following a major earthquake.

This time, however, fewer people felt the tremors.

While it is recommended to avoid taking the elevator during an earthquake, maintenance agencies of several high-rises had not switched off the lifts.

Many people used the facility to reach the ground floor.

The Millennium City, that has more than 400 high-rise residential and commercial towers, is located in the earthquake-prone seismic zone 4.

According to experts, there are zones of varied nature even within Gurgaon district.

Prakash Khetan, a representative of the Hamilton Court, Windsor Court and Regency Park-I towers association, said around 20 people from the 14th and 15th floor had rushed out to the common area from their apartments.

“One couple in their seventies came down to the ground floor from their 14th floor apartment using the lift. There was no panic as such but many occupants who woke up due to the tremors came out of their houses,” he said.

The scenario was similar in Essel Towers on MG Road.

Rajesh Malhotra, who stays on the 12th floor at Essel Towers, said his domestic help raised an alarm, after which he realised an earthquake had struck Gurgaon.