Preparations have been made for mock drills at 20 places in Punjab on Wednesday as the Union Home Ministry on Monday asked all states to conduct mock drills in view of "new and complex threats" that have emerged amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday said mock drills will be carried out at 20 places in the state on Wednesday, including Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Bathinda, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Patiala, Pathankot, Barnala and Mohali. Preparations are almost complete for conducting the mock drill, he added.
Cheema said the directions of the Home Ministry will be followed during the mock drill exercise. The objective of such a drill is to create awareness among the public and take necessary precautions in the event of any attack, said Cheema.
In Haryana also, mock drills will be conducted at many places including Ambala, Faridabad, Gurugram, Hisar, Panchkula, Panipat and Rohtak. Chairing a high-level virtual meeting with the concerned officers, the State Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Sumita Misra said,” We have made elaborate preparations to ensure the success of the exercise across all its districts.” Misra said that State is fully prepared to conduct the Civil Defence Exercise and rehearsal at multiple levels, extending down to villages, in coordination with district and local authorities. She informed that comprehensive instructions are being issued to all Deputy Commissioners, who are ex-officio Controllers of Civil Defence in their districts, to conduct the mock drill in a rigorous and coordinated manner.
She further said that at present as per MHA guidelines, Haryana has 10 districts designated as Civil Defence towns under Category-II–II namely Ambala, Faridabad, Gurugram, Hissar, Panchkula, Panipat, Rohtak, Sirsa, Sonepat and Yamunanagar and Jhajjar in Category-III.
Misra highlighted that Haryana has activated a comprehensive range of civil defence mechanisms, including the operational readiness of civil defence sirens, air raid warning systems in urban and sensitive areas, hotlines control room and radio communication links with the Indian Air Force and other key defence agencies. Crash blackout protocols will be implemented and evacuation drills and emergency response plans are being executed across various zones in designated areas as per the exercise guidelines. Training and sensitisation programmes are being conducted for civilians, students, and key personnel on safety measures. The response capabilities of civil defence services, including wardens, fire and rescue teams, depot staff, and medical responders, are also being tested.
According to a home ministry communication, the measures to be taken during the mock drills include the operationalisation of air-raid warning sirens, training civilians on civil-defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a "hostile attack" and cleaning bunkers and trenches.
The other measures are provisions for crash-blackout measures, early camouflaging of vital plants and installations and updating and rehearsing evacuation plans, a letter to the chief secretaries of all states and administrators of Union territories said.
Blackout drill for 10 min at 7.30 pm on Wednesday in Chandigarh
The Chandigarh administration on Tuesday said it will carry out a blackout drill for 10 minutes on Wednesday evening, appealing to people to keep electricity at their premises switched off during the rehearsal. Speaking to reporters here, Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner Nishan Kumar Yadav said the blackout rehearsal will be conducted from 7.30 pm to 7.40 pm on Wednesday. A siren will be sounded at 7.30 pm and it will continue for 10 minutes, he said. "I appeal to all citizens to switch off lights at their homes for 10 minutes. And if possible, they should remain at their homes so that preparation for a blackout can be conducted," said Yadav.
He also said the administration also spoke to the residents' welfare associations and market associations in this regard. "A blackout rehearsal will be carried out from 7.30 pm to 7.40 pm," he said, adding that people should also keep their generators or inverter sets shut. "If people are outside of their homes for some work, they should park their cars at the roadside and turn off their vehicles' headlights and lights," he said.
Shopkeepers at markets and shopping malls have also been appealed to keep their lights off, he said. "It is a preparatory mechanism and we do not need to panic. The alarm will shut at 7.40 pm and thereafter business will be as usual," he said. Replying to a question, he said there will not be a power shutdown at hospitals, clinics and medical institutions during the blackout rehearsal. He also appealed to people not to hoard any essentials including petrol, diesel and ration.
To another question, he said the blackout drill is voluntary and shortcomings, if any, will be examined and corrected.