Haryana conducts mock drills across all districts

Chandigarh, May 7 (PTI) Haryana on Wednesday carried out a civil defence mock drill under 'Operation Abhyaas' as part of the nationwide exercise simulating multiple hostile scenarios like air raids, multiple fire emergencies and search and rescue operations.
    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.
    The drills were conducted across Haryana and involved procedures to follow during air strikes, techniques for rescuing and reviving injured civilians, demonstrations on fire safety measures and methods for extinguishing fires.
    In Faridabad, police commissioner Satender Kumar Gupta said civic agencies, police and other teams were involved in the mock drill, and they demonstrated how to operate in various kinds of emergency scenarios.
    "With minimum equipment, how can one rescue? If there is a fire incident, how to rescue?...all these things were demonstrated," he said, while at the same time appealing to people not to panic or lend an ear to any kind of rumours.
    Mock drills were also carried out in Gurugram, Panchkula, Ambala and Rohtak at busy shopping malls, marketplaces and other establishments.
    Across the state, the exercise also commenced at key government installations, public sector units and other critical sites.
    Additional Chief Secretary (Home Department) Sumita Misra said the mock drill was mandated for 11 districts, but to strengthen preparedness, the exercise was decided to be conducted in all the districts starting at 4 pm with the sounding of a siren.
    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.
    Hours before the mock drill, Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi chaired a meeting to review the arrangements for the mock drill.
    He issued comprehensive directives to deputy commissioners (DCs) and superintendents of police (SPs) regarding the operational aspects of the mock drill.
    He asked the DCs to inform the public through the media that this is merely a preparatory drill. He also told them that they must encourage the public to report any suspicious activities in their respective areas.
    In alignment with this exercise, the public has also been requested to switch off all lights in their homes from 7.50 pm to 8 pm as a part of the drill.
    Community leaders and prominent local figures should also be involved to help disseminate crucial information about the 'Dos and Don'ts' during the drill, Rastogi directed.
    Meanwhile, Sumita Misra said the state government has formally implemented the Incident Response System (IRS) at both district and state levels under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
    Through IRS, authorities aim to streamline the response mechanism, reduce confusion during emergency situations and minimise reliance on ad-hoc measures.

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