Indonesia quake: Karnataka employees get a ‘holiday’

For many government employees working in high-rise buildings, Wednesday afternoon’s mild tremor came as a blessing in disguise.

 It gave them an undeclared holiday and they went home after the incident.

 Vishveshwaraiah Tower’s 23-storey Big Tower and 10-storey Mini Tower, which house close to a hundred government offices attached to various departments and corporations, were deserted by 3 pm. The tremor was felt at 2 pm in the offices located on the 10th floor and above. The people who were seated in their chairs felt a push. Though it lasted only a few seconds, the experience shook them.

Sharada, whose office is located on 12th floor, said: “Many of my colleagues who were standing did not feel the tremor. I thought the impact was due to blasting at the Metro work site which is close to our building. But seconds later, my colleagues told me that it was a tremor and I got the shock of my life.”   The office rooms were tense as employees started running towards the lift.

Those who could not make it into the lift began running down the steps to the ground floor where they felt safer.

 Within seconds, the premises of VV Tower were filled with employees talking animatedly about the tremor. Soon, they were smiling as they began leaving for their homes.

 The tremor also revealed the alertness of Bangaloreans. Lifts were only used to carry people down. When this reporter tried to take the lift, a group of volunteers warned him that it was too dangerous and that they would not allow anyone to go up.