Chandigarh learns its lessons, to install more sirens, bolster civil defence
Deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav said that 30 more sirens have been ordered and will be installed after a detailed mapping of Chandigarh
Though the Chandigarh administration was able to devise a quick contingency plan as soon as the armed conflict between India and Pakistan took a sharp turn, the city witnessed some glaring gaps in its emergency and evacuation drills, which the administration is now working to plug.
The city demonstrated its ability to intensify patrolling across the city, earmark spaces for potential military use on short notice-- community centres were earmarked for these -- and create green corridors to facilitate swift movement of military convoys and vehicles, but in faltered terms of quickly relaying information to the residents.
For instance, many residents, especially those living in the city’s southern sectors, complained that the air raid sirens were not audible to them during the alerts. At present, Chandigarh has sirens installed at only 20 locations, and the administration is planning to take the number up to 50.
Deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav said that 30 more sirens have been ordered and will be installed after a detailed mapping of the city. “We want to ensure that every area of Chandigarh receives timely alerts in case of a war-like situation or disaster emergency,” he said.
Besides, the administration is also working to upgrade the city’s emergency operation command (EOC) centre, which acts as a nerve centre during a crisis. The command centre is equipped with satellite hotlines and technology systems that receive alerts from the Indian Air Force, Army, and disaster response teams of neighbouring states. “Though the centre is well-equipped, we are working to scale up these systems so that we can ensure faster communication and real-time coordination among agencies,” Yadav added.
Streetlights in smart city Chandigarh have to be manually switched off
The drill also exposed a critical gap in the city’s ability to implement an immediate blackout—a key wartime precaution. Despite orders for a city-wide blackout during the simulation, nearly 50% of Chandigarh’s streetlights and solar lights remained on. Reason: Nearly half of the city’s streetlights and solar lighting systems are still manually operated, thus making it difficult for these to be immediately switched off. “To address this, we will shift all public lighting onto a centrally controlled system through Integrated Command Control Centre (ICCC), which will allow authorities to enforce instant blackouts,” Yadav said.
‘Comprehensive civil defence training for volunteers on cards’
With thousands of young citizens of Chandigarh stepping up to serve as civil defence volunteers, after a single call by the local administration, UT is now planning to provide comprehensive training to registered volunteers, including those who were given training by expert teams of Red Cross, Fire emergency, and NDRF. Over 5,000 people had turned up on May 10, but 3,800 volunteers officially registered for the training.
The volunteers will be trained to provide first-aid and medical assistance, participate in search and rescue operations, support evacuation efforts, distribute relief material, assist with debris clearance and support local administration during an emergency. Beyond emergency, volunteers will be roped in for community awareness campaigns, training and drills, support social welfare, and promote communal harmony.
“As per norms, one volunteer should be trained for every 1,000 residents in the city. Before the drill, the city had just 300 trained volunteers and now 3,800 have registered with us. The administration will soon begin comprehensive training programs for them. Volunteers will be mapped sector-wise, provided with duty charts and uniforms, and trained to handle various types of emergencies,” said the DC. “We are also ensuring close coordination between these volunteers and the police to build a more resilient response system.”
