By IANS
New Delhi : The national capital and 14 cities around it, from Alwar in Rajasthan to Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, are highly quake prone, the ministry of earth sciences said Monday.
The 15 cities – Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Hapur, Panipat, Rohtak, Palwal, Bulandsehar, Khurja, Alwar, Bahadurgarh, Kundali and Rewari – fall under seismic zone 4.
Seismic zone 4 is considered to be highly prone to earthquakes.
Minister of Earth Sciences Kapil Sibal informed the Rajya Sabha that the building material and technology promotion council, which falls under the ministry of urban development and poverty alleviation, has prepared a vulnerability atlas.
“The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has released guidelines for management of earthquakes which contains action to be taken by the central and state governments and municipal bodies for safety of houses during earthquakes,” Sibal said.