(From left) BSDMA vice-chairman Anil Kumar Sinha, chief minister Nitish Kumar and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi at the calendar release ceremony in Patna on Wednesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, March 16: The earthquake in Japan that killed thousands has moved chief minister Nitish Kumar. He has asked the disaster authorities to all highrises in the state capital and asked them to take appropriate steps to make the buildings earthquake-proof.

Nitish, also the chairman of Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA), made this announcement while officially releasing the website, logo and Disaster Risk Reduction calendar of BSDMA at the chief minister’s secretariat.

BSDMA vice-chairman Anil Kumar Sinha said College of Arts and Crafts, Patna, had designed the logo. Children, who took part in a workshop on December 1 last year, had designed the calendar.

Nitish said Bihar is at high risk on the seismographic map. “I have to admit that Bihar is in the high-risk zone in case of an earthquake. There have been earthquakes, floods and droughts in the state very often. Natural disasters have created panic among the people. But what happened in Japan is terrible. Earthquake is the biggest tragedy. We must create awareness about earthquake,” said Nitish.

He directed Sinha to personally check all the highrises in the city. “What happened in Japan is a concern for all other nations. We must learn from them. I am often worried when I see highrise buildings on both sides of the road. I wonder what will happen if an earthquake hits the city. This is a very serious matter,” said Nitish.

Most of the highrises are located on Boring Road, East Boring Canal Road, Rajendra Nagar and Kankerbagh.

He added: “I cannot imagine what would happen in Bihar if an earthquake like the one that hit Bhuj, in Gujarat, in 2005, happened here. We must be prepared for everything. Everyone — children and adults — should be sensitised.

“A lot of buildings are coming up in the city. But how many of these are earthquake proof? There has to be a micro-level mapping. Not a single house should be left out. We have to go about this in a disciplined way because the purpose of BSDMA is to be prepared for such tragedy,” said Nitish.

“To make this effective, disaster management cell will be opened at each police station in the state. The first people to respond to such crisis are usually the police. You can never know when an earthquake will hit. No science can predict it,” said Nitish

The chief minister’s concern is not misplaced. Bihar does fall in the seismic range of 4 to 5. The last earthquake hit Patna in 1988. Architect Anchlesh Nandan said: “Most new buildings in the city are made earthquake proof following different measurements of the Richter scale. But no one can predict the impact of an earthquake.”

Manoj Kumar, a structural engineer, said: “Old buildings can also be made earthquake resistant through the rectro feeding method. But it is quite expensive.”