Sunday drill tests Metro’s alertness

The news of a series of blasts — at metro’s Yamuna Bank and New Delhi stations, inside a train at Dwarka metro station and on tracks between Dwarka and Nawada — and a terrorist attack at Kashmere Gate station shook the Delhi Metro’s network on a sleepy Sunday morning.

The news of a series of blasts — at metro’s Yamuna Bank and New Delhi stations, inside a train at Dwarka metro station and on tracks between Dwarka and Nawada — and a terrorist attack at Kashmere Gate station shook the Delhi Metro’s network on a sleepy Sunday morning.

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Only, it was a part of a mock drill conducted to check the preparedness of various agencies.

However, all metro train operations remained suspended between between 8:01 am and 8:43 am and entry into stations was closed as a part of standard emergency procedure. Frequent announcements were made in the metro trains and stations during this period urging commuters to remain calm.

“It was a part of a mock drill which started around 8.01 am with the Delhi Metro’s Operation Control Centre (OCC) receiving a call from the Delhi Police about a 'blast' at New Delhi Metro station,” Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s spokesperson Anuj Dayal said.

Delhi Metro, Delhi Police, civil defence, the Central Industrial Security Force, district disaster management authority (east) and Delhi fire services participated in the drill, the spokesperson said.

15 such mock drills have been conducted in metro premises across the capital where scenarios such as terrorist attack, evacuation of trains and stations, derailment, and fire were created.