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India mock drill: Delhi lights up again, blackouts continue in other cities
India mock drill updates: Blackouts were conducted all across India today as part of a mock drill exercise. Several parts of Delhi, Noida, Mumbai, Bareilly, Bhopal, Lucknow and more became a no-light zone for a short period of time.
- 4:47 PM IST, May 7Mock security drills conducted across Delhi, see visuals
- 4:01 PM IST, May 7Security drill conducted at Mumbai's CSMT station
- 3:55 PM IST, May 7Security drill conducted in Siliguri school
- 3:28 PM IST, May 7Mock drill conducted at Varanasi' Kashi Vishwanath Temple
- 3:10 PM IST, May 7What to avoid during mock drills
- 3:02 PM IST, May 7Things to know during mock drills
- 2:45 PM IST, May 7Bihar ‘all prepared’ for mock drill, says DGP Vinay Kumar
- 2:19 PM IST, May 7How Delhi is preparing for security mock drills
- 2:08 PM IST, May 7Kiran Bedi on security mock drills
- 1:48 PM IST, May 7Security drill conducted at schools across Delhi
- 1:35 PM IST, May 7Full-list of 244 cities where exercise will be held today
- 1:20 PM IST, May 760 air raid sirens to go off in Delhi at 4 pm
- 1:09 PM IST, May 7Civil defence mock drills to be held at four locations in Hyderabad
- 12:57 PM IST, May 7UP's Bareilly to see 10-minute blackout on Wednesday
- 12:32 PM IST, May 7Delhi's Kerala School conducts mock drill
- 12:23 PM IST, May 7Security drill conducted in Noida's Amity School
- 12:10 PM IST, May 7Are banks open today amid mega security mock drill? Details here
- 11:54 AM IST, May 7Mock drills to be held at 2 locations in Andhra Pradesh
- 11:37 AM IST, May 7Chandigarh to conduct 10-minute blackout drill
- 11:27 AM IST, May 7What's open and what's closed as India prepares for security mock drills
- 11:14 AM IST, May 7What is the objective of the mock drills?
- 11:04 AM IST, May 7Lucknow madarsa conducts mock drill
- 10:56 AM IST, May 7What will happen during mock drills?
- 10:42 AM IST, May 7Mock drill conducted in Varanasi' Reserve police lines
- 10:33 AM IST, May 7What are the timings for blackouts and sirens?
- 10:24 AM IST, May 7Complete list of locations where mock drills will be conducted in Delhi
- 10:16 AM IST, May 7Schools in four districts of Rajasthan shut after Operation Sindoor
- 10:14 AM IST, May 7Odisha fire department prepares for security mock drill
- 9:56 AM IST, May 7Andaman & Nicobar Islands fully prepared for civil defence mock drills, says official
India mock drill updates: Blackout exercises are underway on Wednesday in several cities across India as part of a large scale civil defence mock drill to review India's emergency response preparedness as tensions flare with neighbouring country Pakistan. The Ministry of Home Affairs had directed all the states and union territories on Monday to conduct the drills to check whether they’re prepared against "new and complex threats".
...Read MoreThe direction on Monday came as India prepared to strike terror posts in Pakistan along the Line of Control (LOC) on the intervening night of Tuesday-Wednesday under Operation Sindoor. The strikes came as a sharp response to the terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 people, mostly terrorists. Under Operation Sindoor, which caught Pakistan unawares, the Indian armed forces launched “focused strikes” on nine terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Now amid the anticipation of further escalating tensions, it becomes even more crucial to review India’s civil defence preparedness. Such high-scale mock drills are perhaps being conducted since 1971 across India.
Districts across the country started conducting mock drills on Wedneday, while in most places, the drills started at 4 pm.
As directed by the government, the mock drills involved air raid sirens going off, activation of emergency control rooms, evacuation rehearsals, and coordination with civil defence staff.
Civil defence mock drills today | Key points
- Students, government and private employees, healthcare staff, railway and metro officials, along with several security forces participated in the mock drills around the country.
- No emergency services and transport were disrupted due to the mock drills around India. Security drills were conducted in several schools across India during the day on Wednesday.
- Air raid simulations and black out exercises were also conducted in several civil defence districts to ensure war-time preparedness and smooth emergency responses.
- Blackout exercises plunged several cities into the dark over the course of the day, with lights gradually turning back on in Delhi.
- While several parts of Delhi went dark, notably the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Prime Minister's residence, ICUs in hospitals and dispensaries were exempt from the blackout.
- Security drills were also conducted at high-profile locations based on national importance and density of crowd, such as the CSMT station in Mumbai, the RBI building, Delhi's IGI airport and more.
Mock drill live: UPMRC participates in preparedness check
Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation switched off the lights and participated in the blackout as part of a mock drill in Lucknow.
The Lucknow Metro trains were stopped for about 15 minutes.
Mock drill live: Statue of Unity goes dark | Visuals
The Statue of Unity in Gujarat has gone dark as part of a blackout exercise.
Mock drill live: Blackout occurs in Gujarat's Bhuj district
Blackouts occurred in Bhuj, Surat and Ahmedabad in Gujarat as part of the MHA-directed mock drill exercise.
Mock drill live: Police vans patrol streets, ask people to observe blackout in north Kashmir
Police vans patrolling streets in north Kashmir have been asking people to observe blackout in the region, particularly in the Baramulla and Kupwara districts.
Mock drill live: Moment of blackout captured at Kandla Deendayal Port in Kutch district | See video
Kandla Deendayal Port in the Kutch district of Gujarat experienced a blackout as part of the mock drill ordered by the MHA.
Mock drill live: Madhya Pradesh CM reviews blackout on videocall
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav reviewed the blackout during the state-wide civil defence mock drill through video conferencing at the State Command Centre.
Mock drill live: Bhopal goes from light to dark | See visuals
Bhopal, in Madhya Pradesh, along with other cities like Gwalior went dark during a blackout exercise as part of mock drills carried out across India.
Mock drill live: Lights turn back on at Rashtrapati Bhavan, North and South Block
Lights have turned back on at Rashtrapati Bhavan as well as the North Block and South Block in Delhi, following the blackout, as part of the mock drill ordered by the MHA.
Mock drill live: Barmer in Rajasthan experiences blackout
Barmer in Rajasthan is also experiencing a blackout along with several parts of the country as a part of a mock drill exercise.
Mock drill live: Lights turn back on at Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple
Lights have started to turn back on gradually at Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple in Delhi after a blackout exercise that started at 8 pm.
Mock drill live: Lights turn back on in Vijay Chowk, Delhi
Lights have started to turn back on gradually at Vijay Chowk in Delhi following the blackout exercise which started at 8 pm.
Mock drill live: Akshardham, Moti Nagar, Khan Market go dark
A blackout exercise in parts of Delhi has caused Akshardham, Moti Nagar, Khan Market, as well as other places in the NDMC area.
Mock drill live: Blackout in Gwalior
A blackout exercise has begun in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, as part of the mock drill ordered by the MHA.
Mock drill live: Select City Walk mall in Saket goes dark | Visuals
Several stores at Select City Walk mall in Saket went dark during a blackout exercise in parts of the national capital.
Mock drill live: Blackout begins in Delhi's NDMC area
In Delhi, the NDMC area, experienced a blackout starting from 8 pm. The area encompasses India Gate, Connaught Place and Lutyens' Delhi, including key landmarks like Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, Supreme Court, and the Central Secretariat.
Mock drill live: Blackout took place in Tripura from 5:30 pm to 5:40 pm
A blackout took place at key locations in Tripura from 5:30 to 5:40 pm to check the readiness of the areas to face an emergency. A siren was sounded at first to warn residents.
Mock drill live: Blackout to begin in Amritsar at 10:30 pm
Residents have been urged to turn off their lights at 10:30 PM as power supply will be cut for a planned blackout as the nation carries out a mock drill exercise.
In a video message, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Amritsar, Sakshi Sahni, said, "Mock drill will be carried out in two ways. A siren will be heard at 4 pm, which will be for a simulation exercise... This will broadly be a practice drill. The second drill will be carried out at 10:30 pm, wherein another siren will be heard. There will be a blackout at that time. It is requested that everyone keep their lights off at that time... Power will be normally restored shortly after."
Mock drill live: Blackout exercise in Gujarat's Surat
Mock drill live: Blackout exercise was held in Gujarat's Surat as part of the mock drill ordered by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Mock drill live: Yogi Adityanath oversees blackout at Reserve Police Lines, Lucknow
UP CM Yogi Adityanath supervised the mock drill being held amid a blackout, at Reserve Police Lines in Lucknow.
Mock drill live: Gurugram to experience full-night blackout
In Haryana, Gurugram will undergo a full-night blackout as a part of the mock drill exercise, in order to fully experience a no-light zone, according to Deputy Commissioner Ajay Kumar.
Mock drill live: Sirens blare as blackout to begin in Shimla
Sirens were activated after 7 pm to mark the start of a blackout in Shimla, as part of the mock drill ordered by the MHA.
Mock drill live: Blackout to begin in Bareilly at 8 pm
A district-wide blackout will occur from 8 PM to 8:10 PM in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly. DM Avinash Singh has urged residents to turn off lights, inverters, and avoid using phones or flashlights.
India mock drill live: Blackout in parts of Vishakhapatnam
A blackout took place at 7 PM in Kotha Jalaripeta and Oxygen Towers in Vishakhapatnam.
India mock drill live: Blackout at Select City Walk, Saket
As Delhi goes dark for a mock drill exercise, a blackout took place in some stores at the popular Select City Walk mall in Saket at 7 pm, and later again at 7:40 pm.
India mock drill live: Blackout begins in Noida, Guwahati
Blackout began in parts of Noida, Uttar Pradesh and Guwahati, Assam at 7 pm.
