Pune, May 6 (PTI) Mock drills will be conducted at the Council Hall in Pune city and at Mulshi and Talegaon in the district on Wednesday as part of a nationwide preparedness exercise to assess the country's readiness for any hostile attacks.
Earlier in the day, Civil Defence officials started activating the emergency response system by testing some 75 sirens installed across Pune.
"Mock drills will be conducted after sounding a siren at 4 pm at Council Hall, Panchayat Samiti office in Mulshi, and Municipal Council office in Talegaon," District Collector Jitendra Dudi told reporters.
He said personnel from civil defence, the Army, Air Force, Police, Fire Brigade, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Revenue and Health Departments, municipal corporations and district administration will participate in the exercise. Additionally, students from various colleges, National Sevice Scheme (NSS), and National Cadet Corps (NCC) will also participate.
Elaborating on the execution plan of the mock drill, Dudi said the exercise will simulate a wartime scenario. A building will be identified, and an air raid siren will be sounded to signify the presumed attack.
"Once the siren is blown, some people will take shelter in designated refuge or safe areas. It will be assumed that others, who could not hear the siren, are trapped inside the building. Various departments will then coordinate rescue efforts," he said.
In case of a fire, the fire brigade will move in to douse the flames and evacuate people. The primary objective of the mock drill, he added, is to ensure that stranded individuals are rescued in the shortest possible time.
Dudi further said that those rescued, if found injured, will be provided immediate medical attention at a makeshift hospital that will be set up nearby for the purpose of the drill.
He urged citizens not to panic, clarifying that the exercise is purely an awareness initiative to educate the public on how to respond and stay prepared in the event of a war.
Dudi stressed that no blackout is planned during the drills.
"A hotline will be set up in the coming days, and citizens will be made aware of the SOPs in the event of emergencies," he stated.
He added that college students, NCC and NSS cadets will be taking part in the mock drills tomorrow.
The Union Home Ministry has asked all States to conduct mock drills on Wednesday in view of "new and complex threats" that have emerged amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Yogesh Pardeshi, divisional warden of the Kothrud division of Civil Defence, said they have started testing the sirens.
"Our personnel are visiting each site to verify that sirens are functioning properly," he said.
Volunteers are also coordinating with various agencies, including the district disaster management cell, fire brigade, police, defence forces, and medical services, to prepare for the comprehensive mock drill.
District disaster management cell officer Vitthal Banaute said a meeting of all stakeholders, including representatives of Civil Defence, police, local administration, defence entities, health officials and fire services, has been convened to finalise preparations for the exercise.