An earthquake of 3.3 magnitude jolted parts of Haryana on Sunday, December 21. The quake was felt at 12:13 PM with the epicentre at Rohtak. The focal depth of the quake was 5 km, the National Centre for Seismology said.
Meanwhile, there were no casualties reported after the calamity.
Earthquake also hit Assam
According to information from the National Centre for Seismology, earlier on Saturday, December 20, an earthquake was reported in the northeastern Indian state of Assam. The earthquake in Assam measured 3.8 on the Richter scale. Its epicentre was located in Assam’s Darrang district at a depth of 5 kilometres.
Should we relocate everyone to moon? SC asks petitioner
Recently, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court, which said that 75 per cent of India's population is in a high seismic zone. It asked the SC to give directions to the authorities to minimise damage from earthquakes. Responding to the petition, the SC said, "So we should relocate everyone to the moon or where?"
The petitioner, appearing in person, informed a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta that while earlier only Delhi was considered to fall in a high seismic zone, recent assessments indicate that nearly 75 per cent of India’s population now comes under such zones.
Reacting to the submission, the bench remarked, “So should we relocate everyone to the moon or somewhere else?”
The petitioner then referred to a recent major earthquake in Japan. In response, the bench observed, “First bring volcanoes into this country, then we can compare it with Japan.”
The petitioner urged that authorities should put systems in place to minimise damage in the event of an earthquake. The bench, however, said such measures fall within the government’s domain and not the court’s, and dismissed the petition.
At the outset, the petitioner had said that a significant amount of information relevant to his plea had recently emerged. The bench reiterated that these were policy matters for the government to address.
When the petitioner cited media reports, the bench observed that newspaper reports were not a basis for judicial consideration and said it was not concerned with them.
Why do earthquakes occur?
In fact, there are a total of seven tectonic plates beneath the Earth. According to experts, these seven tectonic plates keep moving within their respective regions. During this movement, the plates sometimes collide with each other along fault lines. This collision creates friction, which releases energy. When this energy finds a way out, it results in earthquakes on the Earth’s surface.
