GUWAHATI, April 28 � An SMS message on the possibility of an earthquake of the magnitude of 5.7 on the Richter scale kept a large number of Guwahatians tense till midnight yesterday. However, the earthquake failed to occur as to the relief of the city residents.
Though the source of the SMS could not be ascertained, as, it spread from mobile phone to mobile phone, it attributed the prediction to the �Seismological Deptt for the North East, Shillong.
It read � �Important msg �The Seismological Deptt for the Northeast, Shillong have announced that a major earthquake measuring 5.7 in Richter scale may hit the northeast at around 11:17 pm tonight. It has advised d people of the region to stay outdoor during the stipulated time��
But when contacted, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) sources here said that they had not received any such message from the Central Seismological Observatory. Moreover, H Pathak, one of the Directors of the RMC, told this newspaper that earthquake prediction had not become possible so far and the Seismological Observatory, which is placed under the India Meteorology Department, had not been practising earthquake prediction. Had there been any development that could really indicate occurrence of an earthquake, the IMD itself would have passed the information on to the media with the required caution, Pathak said. He attributed the SMS to some wicked forces.
