GUWAHATI: The Centre on Monday, May 5, directed several states to conduct nationwide mock drills aimed at strengthening civil defence preparedness in light of escalating external threats.
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According to senior government officials quoted in various media reports, these exercises will begin from Wednesday, May 7, and will continue until May 9, with detailed guidelines to be released on Tuesday. The drills will involve operationalising air-raid warning systems, implementing crash blackout measures, camouflaging critical infrastructure, and testing public evacuation plans.
All these measures have been initiated to particularly simulate wartime-like conditions and prepare civilian authorities for potential external aggression.
Additional reports have also stated that around four lakh volunteers affiliated with the Directorate General of Civil Defence under the MHA will be mobilised across the country for the drills, while state police departments have been tasked with supporting the exercises through local coordination.
Furthermore, camouflaging exercises will include turning off lights in and around sensitive installations. A similar 30-minute blackout drill was carried out on Sunday in Punjab’s Ferozepur district.
The instructions have arrived following heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, particularly after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that claimed 26 lives. Since then, diplomatic measures have included India placing the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and cancelling visas issued to Pakistani nationals.
Meanwhile, incidents of unprovoked firing by Pakistani forces along the Line of Control have been reported and countered by the Indian Army.