Civil defence mock drills, including blackouts, were conducted across the country on Wednesday amid tensions with Pakistan to spread awareness about response to emergency in the public and make the administration aware about the steps to be taken in an emergency.

The drills were carried out in compliance with the instructions issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday, asking all states and Union territories to evaluate the preparedness against emergencies and threats.

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The drills were carried out in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Gwalior, and Jaipur with a focus on response to security challenges.

There was a blackout drill across NDMC and other areas of the city including important places and installations.

A total 15-minute blackout, starting at 8 pm, was observed in the NDMC area of Delhi on Wednesday as part of the nationwide civil defence mock drill simulating emergency scenarios. It was part of Operation Abhyaas, which is a preparedness exercise carried out nationwide for emergency scenario preparedness.

Sirens sounded an alert ahead of the blackout drill, prompting people to be prepared and go as per the instructions by the administration as response in the situation as per the home ministry’s guidelines.

In the national capital Delhi, mock drills took place in different areas including the famous Khan Market, where the authorities simulated real-life emergency situations.

There was darkness all around the Connaught Place area during the specified time and the drill included turning off power supply leading to a total darkness with the visibility cuts down drastically.

In many places across the country, the district administration, along with emergency services, conducted the drills in the context of air strikes by the armed forces in Pakistan, making people aware of the response in such situations, apprising them about how to coordinate with agencies, like handling injured and other such important aspects.

People were made aware about how to be prepared and how to act in such situations so that they could protect themselves while helping fellow citizens.

In Mumbai, protocols were tested at Cross Maidan, with a siren blaring at around 4 pm, which set off activity as part of the drill, simulating an air strike.

The teams involved in the drill included personnel of civil defence, fire brigade, and paramedics who rushed to the scene.

Officials also conducted exercises to handle any untoward situation across places in Rajasthan, to ensure people and the administration are ready to handle any emergency.

These drills serve as a critical step in evaluating India’s preparedness for handling complex security situations.

In Delhi, Directorate of Education had directed all schools to conduct training sessions for students and teachers on disaster response.

Meanwhile, Indian Armed Forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ during the intervening night of May 6- 7, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir in response to the April 22 terror attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed 26 innocent lives.

The government had said the perpetrators would not be spared.

These mock drills involved active participation from the district controllers, various district authorities, civil defence wardens and volunteers, Home Guards, as well as members of NCC, NSS and students from schools and colleges.