No clear protocols appeared to be in place, and the government was forced to wait for additional earthmoving equipment to come from Udaipur, Rajasthan. Any disaster plan for an earthquake, for example, should anticipate that hospitals will be destroyed, and have defined measures to cope with such a situation. In an attempt to deflect criticism, Vajpayee convened an all-party meeting in New Delhi last weekend to discuss the situation in Gujarat. The Gujarat state government is also under fire. It was only a fortnight ago that the government had decided to allow builders to construct two additional floors above the permissible 10-storey limit.
Shoddy construction is responsible for most of the deaths.
Even though Kutch is one of the highest earthquake risk areas in the world, most of the state's buildings do not meet earthquake standards. While the state's nuclear power plants and dams, which are built to withstand major earthquakes, survived unscathed, large areas of domestic housing were completely or partially destroyed. According to a New York Times article, Indian authorities disregarded the findings and recommendations of a 1998 study by a government-appointed expert group on natural disaster prevention. Using sound building methods could make a huge difference during a quake. On the other, some new structures may well have been built without proper adherence to codes and not properly inspected.