Air raid sirens, blackouts: Mock drills held across Punjab, Hry, HP
The drills simulated emergency scenarios such as fire incidents, rescue operations, airstrikes and blackout situations aimed at testing and improving the preparedness of civil and emergency response systems.
Authorities conducted extensive mock drills across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday as part of a nationwide civil defence exercise initiated by the Union ministry of home affairs.
The initiative comes in response to emerging security threats, particularly following the recent Pahalgam terror attack and rising tensions with Pakistan.
The drills simulated emergency scenarios such as fire incidents, rescue operations, airstrikes and blackout situations aimed at testing and improving the preparedness of civil and emergency response systems.
In Punjab, mock drills were held in Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Bathinda, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Patiala, Pathankot, Barnala and Mohali. In Ludhiana, a comprehensive fire and rescue drill was carried out at the Verka Milk Plant on Ferozepur Road, involving the NDRF, fire brigade, police, health department, civil defence, and NCC.
In Bathinda, the drill was conducted at the railway station, Mittal Mall and on the National Fertilizers Limited premises, where the participants exhibited emergency measures like evacuation during hostile situation.
Jalandhar and Nawanshahr observed a one-hour blackout from 8 to 9 PM, while a 10-minute blackout was enforced in Hoshiarpur. In Kapurthala, blackouts took place on the district jail and Sainik School campuses. These drills included scenes of volunteers being carried on stretchers, fire suppression and simulated evacuations.
In Haryana mock drills were conducted across all 22 districts, focusing on public awareness and emergency preparedness. Citizens were briefed on key blackout precautions, such as charging mobile devices, preparing flashlights and emergency kits, and identifying safe shelter areas.
Air raid sirens were sounded at 4pm, followed by drills at government offices, malls and other key locations. A 10-minute blackout was enforced from 7.50pm to 8pm, during which citizens turned off all lights and remained indoors.
In Shimla, “Operation Abhyas” was carried out at the DC office and Sanjauli parking area. The drill at the DC Office followed a previous fire incident, while the Sanjauli exercise simulated an airstrike. Deputy commissioner Anupam Kashyap stated that civil defence personnel actively participated to strengthen emergency response systems.
Officials emphasised that these drills were crucial for assessing real-time coordination between agencies and for building public resilience to potential crises.
Flights from Bathinda suspended
Flights from the civil airport located at Bathinda’s Virk Kalan village, the only facility in southwest Punjab, was suspended from Wednesday in view of security concerns after Operation Sindoor.
Bathinda airport director Sawar Mal Singaria said that flights to Delhi and Noida by Alliance Air and Flybig did not take off on Wednesday. “As per the instruction from the central authorities, civil flights remained suspended till further orders,” he said.
