Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan on Tuesday held a meeting with Chief Secretaries of States through video-conferencing to review the preparedness of the planned Civil Defence Mock Drill, a source said.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had on Monday issued a circular advising all states to conduct mock drills on Wednesday, in the wake of the “new and complex threats” that have emerged amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.
According to a home ministry communication, the measures to be taken during the mock drills were to include the operationalisation of air-raid warning sirens, training civilians on civil-defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a “hostile attack” and cleaning bunkers and trenches.
The Home Secretary’s meeting was aimed at reviewing the preparations for strengthening civil defence mechanisms that include conducting mock drills on air-raid warning sirens, training civilians to protect themselves in the event of a “hostile attack” and cleaning bunkers and trenches.
During the meeting, all states were advised to organise the Civil Defence Exercise and Rehearsal across the 244 categorised Civil Defence Districts of the country, which should be conducted up to the village level.
The objective of the mock drill is to assess and enhance the preparedness of Civil Defence mechanisms across all States and Union Territories, particularly to evaluate the effectiveness of air raid warning systems, operationalisation of Hotline or Radio Communication Links with the Indian Air Force, as well as to test the functionality of control rooms.
The mock drill would include training of civilians and students on the civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a hostile attack. The drill will also have mock blackouts, camouflaging of vital installations and evacuation.