NEW DELHI, May 6: The stage is set for a nationwide mock drill on Wednesday with all states and Union territories preparing to operationalise air-raid sirens and train people on evacuation protocols and cleaning of bunkers and trenches among other steps in the event of a “hostile attack”.
The emergency preparedness, the first perhaps since 1971, will be conducted by most states from 4 pm.
Sources said the number of volunteers associated with this drill would be around 6 lakh but the final number could be more.
The drill follows the Union Home ministry’s communication on Monday to states and Union territories to conduct the drills due to the “new and complex threats” that have emerged amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.
The authorities in all states will involve students of educational institutions, employees of government and private organisations, hospital staff, railway and metro officials, besides uniformed personnel of the police, paramilitary and defence forces, while conducting the mock drills, the sources said.
Most vulnerable places include metro cities like Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata and cities that have vital installations like nuclear facilities or are along the border, they said.
“The civil defence authorities are going to check the capabilities of all these zones and wherever something is lacking or not working, these will be rectified,” a source said.
This exercise of identifying site spots will continue for next three days.
During the day, a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan was held here to discuss how to conduct the mock exercise with active public participation of people. Top civil and police officials of the country participated in the meeting, official sources said.
Preparations are almost complete for conducting the mega exercise in the states and Union territories, officials said.
The Delhi government issued a list of dos’ and don’ts for the exercise ‘Operation Abhyaas’ at 55 locations across the national capital.
People have been advised to familiarise with the air raid siren sounds (long wails for alerts, short bursts for all-clear), identifying the nearest shelter locations such as basements, underground car parks or designated safe zones, during the drill and keep ready items like toch, emergency kit, water bottles among others.
People will also be required to immediately stop outdoor activities and proceed to the nearest shelter, avoid using phone to keep communication line free for emergencies after sounding of the sirens without ignoring it.
J&K’s six districts to undergo Mock Drill today
Jammu, May 6: Mock drills would be conducted in six districts of the Kashmir valley on Wednesday, following the Union Home Ministry’s order, officials said.
The drills would be conducted in Kashmir’s seven civil defence districts — Anantnag, Budgam, Baramulla, Kupwara, Srinagar, Uri (in Baramulla district), and Awantipora (in Pulwama district) – which are spread over six revenue districts.
The MHA has asked all states to conduct the drills due to the “new and complex threats” that have emerged amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.
States across India have been ordered to rope in students, government and private employees, hospital, railway, and metro staff, and police, paramilitary and defence forces, to be part of the drill.
According to an advisory issued by the Directorate of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Civil Defence Kashmir, the drill will take place at 4 pm on Wednesday.
“To enhance the Civil Defence preparedness for emergencies, a Civil Defence Mock Drill will take place on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at 4:00 PM,” the advisory read.
“As part of the drill, sirens will be activated at various locations in Kashmir. This is a practice exercise to test our emergency response systems. We kindly request all members of the public to remain calm and not be alarmed. Your cooperation is essential in making this safety initiative a success,” it added.
