Civilian mock drills scheduled for Thursday evening in states bordering Pakistan have been postponed due to “administrative reasons”. Statements released by the governments of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Jammu and Kashmir indicated that the pause was initiated in response to directions from the Home Ministry. Meanwhile the Punjab government is now slated to hold its June 3. Haryana has also announced the postponement of its state-wide civilian preparedness exercise codenamed Operation Shield.
India had held its first mock drill since 1971 earlier this month — hours before launching Operation Sindoor. The latest iteration is expected to follow a similar pattern, and aims to test civilian preparedness and official response mechanisms in the event of renewed hostilities. The drills has been scheduled to take place from 5 pm onwards in various border districts with authorities indicating plans for blackouts and various civilian training activities in line with the pan-India exercise on May 7.
Which states are conducting drills?
The Directorate General of Fire Service and Home Guards had earlier conveyed that the civil defence exercise – Operation Shield – would be carried out in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Chandigarh. Barner District Collector Tina Dabi had told ANI that the exercise would be conducted in various districts bordering Pakistan on Thursday evening. Sirens were to be sounded during the drill and emergency response systems tested. Meanwhile Haryana indicated that all 22 districts in the state would undergo similar drills and face a brief blackout from 8:00 pm.
Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Chandigarh have since announced a postponement of mock drills — citing a Home Ministry directive. It remains unclear when the new drills will be held or whether there will be any change in their format. Punjab has announced a rescheduling of drills for next week.
Punjab drills on June 3?
According to a PTI report, the Punjab government had written to the Centre proposing June 3 as the new date on Wednesday. It noted that their civil defence staff were undergoing training being conducted by the National Disaster Response Force. The A senior Punjab Police officer told the publication that the Centre had subsequently accepted the request. The deputy commissioners in Punjab have been told that the civil defence exercise will take place in all districts on June 3.
(With inputs from agencies)