Hyderabad, May 7 (PTI) Rescue personnel evacuated people and shifted the 'injured' in civil defence mock drills involving the police, fire services, and disaster response forces in four locations in the city on Wednesday.
The mock drill was held as per instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) amid rising tensions with Pakistan post the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people, mostly tourists, dead.
The drills were carried out in Secunderabad, Golkonda, Kanchan Bagh, and the Nacharam NFC area.
Sirens were activated at 4 pm within the Outer Ring Road (ORR), signalling the start of the drill.
Citizens were instructed to stay indoors, seek shelter, and take cover.
Rescue personnel evacuated people from buildings using ropes, provided medical aid, and shifted the 'injured' during the operations.
Sirens were sounded again at 4.30 pm to mark the end of the drills.
Senior police officials monitored the mock drills from the Integrated Command and Control Centre.
Authorities had earlier informed the public not to panic, clarifying that it was a safety preparedness exercise.
After the completion of the mock drills conducted under ‘Operation Abhyas’ (Operation Exercise), Hyderabad Police Commissioner C V Anand said sirens were sounded during the drill and a message was sent out through control rooms, alerting people about the "simulated missile attack and air raids" at four locations.
The response of officials from various departments was tested through the mock drills, he said.
Personnel from the Police, Medical and Health Services, Fire and Disaster Management, NDRF, SDRF, Revenue, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), and other departments reached the "incident locations" and carried away those "killed" and "injured" in the simulated attacks on stretchers.
Firefighting drills were also conducted, with fires being extinguished at the "incident sites."
"This was done to create awareness among the public. There is no need to panic. It is just a precautionary and preparatory measure," the Commissioner said.