By IANS,
Agartala : The massive earthquake followed by tsunami in Japan caused concern among lawmakers in the Tripura assembly Friday as the northeastern region of India falls in Zone V, the sixth worst quake-prone belt in the world.
Congress legislator Gopal Roy, voicing his worry, told Speaker Ramendra Chandra Debnath: “Sir, we should move away from this 110-year-old palace (currently the assembly house) as we may get killed if a quake hits the state.”
The Congress MLA said that very frequently the northeastern region has been witnessing quakes.
The two-storied mansion Ujjayanta Palace, presently the Tripura legislative assembly, built by Maharaja Radhakishore Manikya Bahadur in 1899-1901, was the command centre of the erstwhile princely rulers.
A devastating earthquake, which struck Agartala in 1897, had caused substantial damage to the palace that was under construction.
Roy’s colleague Subal Bhowmik urged the speaker to adopt a condolence resolution over the deaths and destruction in Japan.
Supporting the Congress legislators’ apprehensions, ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) legislator and former minister Pabitra Kar also requested the speaker to take on a condolence motion in the house conveying deep sympathy over the natural disaster in Japan.
The Geological Survey of India had earlier notified that the mountainous northeastern region could experience a devastating earthquake.
Assam experienced a massive tremor measuring 8.5 on the Richter scale Aug 15, 1950, that claimed some 1,500 lives.
The worst quake, measuring 8.7 was felt in the region in 1897. It killed 1,600 people.