NEW DELHI: A drill to check Delhi's preparedness for emergency situations such as air raids, blackouts and evacuations in case of attacks is all set to take place in 55 locations across the capital at 4pm Wednesday, as part of a national exercise.
Under ' Operation Abhyaas ', air-raid sirens will be sounded and residents will be trained on evacuation protocols, and search and rescue operations, among other measures.
While a total blackout may not take place as it will require coordination with the Northern Powergrid and may bring the city to a standstill, officials said sporadic power cuts may be carried out in pockets.
In Ghaziabad, sirens will go off twice, at 10am and 8pm. In Gurgaon, a voluntary "blackout" will be observed between 7pm and 8pm. Noida, which does not have a civil defence unit, will have a different drill.
Capital to simulate air raids, evacuations
The drill is aimed at gauging how quickly the civilian population responds to an emergency, such as an air strike, in a war-like situation.
The directive for the drill came from the Union home ministry in light of “new and complex threats” emerging due to heightened tensions with Pakistan following the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where 26 civilians — 25 of them tourists — were shot dead on April 22.
Officials said the drill will take place simultaneously at 55 locations across the 11 districts of the capital. These will include educational institutions, markets, residential pockets, housing societies, hospitals, and govt installations. More than 7,000 Civil Defence volunteers and 1,800 Aapda Mitras, who are trained in disaster response by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), will be at the forefront of the drill, along with local police, traffic police, fire services, and home guards, besides the departments of revenue, health, transport, education, and power, among others.
CM Rekha Gupta said the national capital was “fully prepared” for the drill. “Every activity is being undertaken as per the directions of the Centre,” she said. A senior revenue department official said the exercise will be a test of how well-oiled, robust, and alert the civil defence mechanism is.
The day will start with special training programmes for students in 660 schools – 550 private and 110 state-run – on disaster response. Officials said a demonstration video has been shared to help schools understand how to conduct a drill.
The directorate of education issued a circular Tuesday, directing schools to ensure full participation in the drill and to cooperate with the visiting DDMA teams “in the right spirit, with the aim of promoting a culture of safety, preparedness and civic responsibility among students”. Officials added that the drills will continue and training will be imparted to students in all schools over the next fortnight.
Volunteer platform Yuvamanthan will depute teams to assist schools with the awareness programmes and basic drills for hostile threat preparedness, an official said. “The demonstration video shared with the schools shows teachers responding to an alarm by closing doors, windows and curtains, and switching off electrical appliances. Students are instructed to take cover under their desks or near walls, protecting their heads with their school bags and hands. Senior students will also be trained to guide the younger ones and help maintain calm,” said an official.
The civil defence exercise will also involve the district controller, various district authorities, civil defence wardens and volunteers, home guards (both active and reservists), as well as members of National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS), Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and students from schools and colleges. The directorate of education has asked all govt and private aided schools to submit a report, along with photographs of the drill, to their respective district education offices on Wednesday.
The drill for civilians will begin in the evening. Standard operating procedures have been distributed to all departments, resident and market associations, and institutions, and a communication strategy has been developed, an official said. Civilians will familiarise themselves with the sounds of the air-raid siren — long wails for alerts and short bursts for all-clear — identify nearest shelter locations such as basements, underground car parks or designated safe zones and keep ready items such as a torch, emergency kit and water bottles, among others, the official said. “Following the drill, we will carry out a complete assessment of the state of equipment and communication devices,” an official said.
Under ' Operation Abhyaas ', air-raid sirens will be sounded and residents will be trained on evacuation protocols, and search and rescue operations, among other measures.
While a total blackout may not take place as it will require coordination with the Northern Powergrid and may bring the city to a standstill, officials said sporadic power cuts may be carried out in pockets.
In Ghaziabad, sirens will go off twice, at 10am and 8pm. In Gurgaon, a voluntary "blackout" will be observed between 7pm and 8pm. Noida, which does not have a civil defence unit, will have a different drill.
Capital to simulate air raids, evacuations
The drill is aimed at gauging how quickly the civilian population responds to an emergency, such as an air strike, in a war-like situation.
The directive for the drill came from the Union home ministry in light of “new and complex threats” emerging due to heightened tensions with Pakistan following the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where 26 civilians — 25 of them tourists — were shot dead on April 22.
Officials said the drill will take place simultaneously at 55 locations across the 11 districts of the capital. These will include educational institutions, markets, residential pockets, housing societies, hospitals, and govt installations. More than 7,000 Civil Defence volunteers and 1,800 Aapda Mitras, who are trained in disaster response by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), will be at the forefront of the drill, along with local police, traffic police, fire services, and home guards, besides the departments of revenue, health, transport, education, and power, among others.
CM Rekha Gupta said the national capital was “fully prepared” for the drill. “Every activity is being undertaken as per the directions of the Centre,” she said. A senior revenue department official said the exercise will be a test of how well-oiled, robust, and alert the civil defence mechanism is.
The day will start with special training programmes for students in 660 schools – 550 private and 110 state-run – on disaster response. Officials said a demonstration video has been shared to help schools understand how to conduct a drill.
The directorate of education issued a circular Tuesday, directing schools to ensure full participation in the drill and to cooperate with the visiting DDMA teams “in the right spirit, with the aim of promoting a culture of safety, preparedness and civic responsibility among students”. Officials added that the drills will continue and training will be imparted to students in all schools over the next fortnight.
Volunteer platform Yuvamanthan will depute teams to assist schools with the awareness programmes and basic drills for hostile threat preparedness, an official said. “The demonstration video shared with the schools shows teachers responding to an alarm by closing doors, windows and curtains, and switching off electrical appliances. Students are instructed to take cover under their desks or near walls, protecting their heads with their school bags and hands. Senior students will also be trained to guide the younger ones and help maintain calm,” said an official.
The civil defence exercise will also involve the district controller, various district authorities, civil defence wardens and volunteers, home guards (both active and reservists), as well as members of National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS), Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and students from schools and colleges. The directorate of education has asked all govt and private aided schools to submit a report, along with photographs of the drill, to their respective district education offices on Wednesday.
The drill for civilians will begin in the evening. Standard operating procedures have been distributed to all departments, resident and market associations, and institutions, and a communication strategy has been developed, an official said. Civilians will familiarise themselves with the sounds of the air-raid siren — long wails for alerts and short bursts for all-clear — identify nearest shelter locations such as basements, underground car parks or designated safe zones and keep ready items such as a torch, emergency kit and water bottles, among others, the official said. “Following the drill, we will carry out a complete assessment of the state of equipment and communication devices,” an official said.
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