NEW DELHI: India downgraded its Tsunami warning on Thursday, even as the massive earthquake off the coast of Indonesia created ripples across the south Asian sub-continent, a day earlier. In Kolkata, in eastern India, the Metro railway services were stopped seconds after the twin tremors, one of which measured 8 plus on the Ritcher scale. Several buildings also developed cracks in the walls and facades as a result of the earthquake on Wednesday afternoon. In southern India, the authorities at the under-construction Kudankular nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu state in southern India said they were on alert, but allowed work on the plant to continue. “We received the alert from Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services in Hyderabad and we are generally on alert. However, we are continuing with our work,” M Balaji, director of the nuclear power plant said. In Goa, thousands of tourists were ordered off the state's popular beaches. Moreover, tourism and general administration officials were dispatched to the coastal areas. “The tourism department has been warned. They will move vehicles in the coastal areas and tell tourists to stay off the beaches and move inland,” Parrikar said. An Indian Ocean wide Tsunami watch was issued after an earthquake measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale rocked Indonesia. Parrikar said that vehicles mounted with public address systems would ask tourist move away from the beachfront for precautionary sake. “All the collectors, deputy collectors and revenue officials have been mobilized and asked to travel to the coastal areas and ask people to take precautions and not venture into the sea,” Parrikar added.
