Thursday, 08 May 2025
Thursday, 08 May 2025
Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor launched in retaliation to Pahalgam terror attack, mock drill exercises are underway in several parts of the country today.
These drills, codenamed ‘Operation Abhyas’ will be part of a longer list of civil defence measures that will be observed in 244 districts across India, including that in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chandigarh.
The mock drills will simulate multiple hostile scenarios like incoming air raids with siren activation and blackout procedures, urban fire emergencies, search and rescue operations, casualty evacuation, temporary hospital setups, and evacuation of civilians to demilitarised zones/bunkers.
Each selected town/district will receive an air raid warning through appropriate signals by sounding sirens. Following the warning, the general public is requested to seek immediate shelter, draw their curtains, stay indoors, turn off electrical and gas supplies, until further instructions follow. All vehicular traffic in a notified area would have to come to a halt and passenger would be expected to take shelter and other precautionary measures.
The mock drills will arm citizens with the knowledge of what to do in case India is attacked. The drills also aim “to assess and enhance the readiness of Civil Defence mechanisms across all States and Union Territories,” according to a letter from the Directorate General Fire Service, Civil Defence and Home Guards to the states and UTs.
“In the current geo-political scenario, new and complex threats/challenges have emerged, hence, it would be prudent that optimum civil defence preparedness in the states/UTs is maintained at all times,” the letter added.
