Haryana chief secretary reviews preparations for civil defence drill

Chandigarh, May 7 (PTI) Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi here on Wednesday chaired a meeting to review the arrangements for the civil defence mock drill under 'Operation Abhyas,' which will be conducted across all 22 districts of the state at 4 pm.
    In alignment with this exercise, the public has been requested to switch off all lights in their homes from 7.50 pm to 8 pm as a part of the drill.
    The Union Ministry of Home Affairs had earlier asked all states to conduct mock drills on Wednesday due to the "new and complex threats" that have emerged amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.
    During the meeting, Rastogi issued comprehensive directives to all Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) regarding the operational aspects of the mock drill.
    He emphasised that the exercise would commence at key government installations, public sector units (PSUs), and other critical sites.
    The DCs have been instructed to activate their civil defence systems as part of this coordinated response, an official statement said.
    The mock drill will be a joint effort involving Home Guards, Civil Defence volunteers, the police, NCC officers, and 'Aapada Mitras'.
    The chief secretary reiterated that the aim of the exercise is preparation and precaution, not panic. He urged DCs to inform the public through the media that this is merely a preparatory drill, reassuring them there is no cause for concern.
    Rastogi further instructed the DCs to encourage the public to promptly report any suspicious activities in their respective areas to the police and local authorities.
    Community leaders and prominent local figures should also be involved to help disseminate crucial information about the 'Dos and Don'ts' during the drill.
    Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Sumita Misra said the civil defence mock drill was mandated for 11 districts, but to strengthen preparedness, the drill will be conducted in all districts of Haryana starting at 4 pm with the sounding of a siren.
    She said the state government has formally implemented the Incident Response System (IRS) at both district and state levels under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.     This initiative, which was notified on January 28, 2025, aims to streamline the response mechanism, reduce confusion during emergency situations, and minimise reliance on ad-hoc measures.
    As part of the IRS structure, the chief secretary will serve as the responsible officer, with the financial commissioner for revenue and the additional chief secretary for revenue designated as the incident commander.
    Key roles, including district incident coordinators, nodal officers, safety officers, liaison officers, and information and media officers, have also been appointed at the state level to ensure effective communication and coordination.
    She also directed DCs to ensure all fire services and trauma centres are ready to deal with any emergency. She said the drill aims to prepare the civilian population for any exigency and reduce the potential of mass panic during such a dire/hostile situation.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)