Simulation exercises are being conducted nationwide in accordance with the instructions of the Union’s Ministry of the Interior. The exercise will test the efficacy of air strike warning signs, collapse power outage measures, camouflage critical devices, evacuation plans, setting up hotlines with the Indian Air Force, activation of control rooms, fire and guard services, and cleaning of bunkers and ditches. The exercise follows the April 22 terrorist attack on Pahargam, where 26 people were killed.
Here is how the exercises in each state will be carried out:
Delhi
Authorities in Delhi will conduct simulated security drills at 55 locations, including Connaught Place, Khan Market and Chandni Chowk, to check the preparations of security agencies. “The drill will be conducted at 55 locations at 4 p.m. – 5 locations in each revenue zone. We have held meetings with stakeholders about their behavior,” an official said.
These exercises will simulate a variety of hostile scenarios such as air strikes, multiple fire emergencies, and search and rescue operations. As part of the exercise, the police department will be sounded by a police team from the city’s 15 police districts.
The Delhi Education Bureau (DOE) directed all school leaders to organize training courses for students and teachers of disaster response and shared demonstration videos to help schools understand how to conduct appropriate simulation exercises.
Kerala
According to the instructions of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), Kerala will conduct state-wide civil defense simulation exercises in all 14 regions. According to a statement issued by Kerala National Disaster Management Agency (KSDMA), the simulation exercise will begin at 4 pm, with alarm sirens being heard between 4.02 pm and 4.29 pm even in areas where they cannot be heard for 30 seconds for 30 seconds, for 30 seconds.
According to the Center’s instructions, where there is no sirens, it is possible to consider using the announcement system of the place of worship to alert the public. The siren said “safety” will sound for 30 seconds starting at 4.28 pm and the siren will be operated directly by the national disaster management authorities.
Telangana
A large-scale civil defense simulation exercise will be conducted in Hyderabad as part of the National Preparation Exercise Code for Operation Abhyaas. The exercise will take place from 4.00 pm to 4.30 pm throughout the city and will involve 12 civil defense services including police, fire, rescue, medical and municipal departments. At 4 p.m., the sirens will be activated throughout the city to simulate the attack of air strikes. These will include industrial siren, police public broadcasting systems, fire truck siren and patrol vehicles announcements. The sirens will sound for two minutes to start the simulation scene.
Following the alarm, the public is expected to participate by seeking immediate shelter, closing electrical and gas appliances and remaining indoors until further instructions. Authorities have urged citizens to follow official sources only for updates, rather than issue or take action based on unverified information.
Tamil Nadu
Civil defense activities and rehearsals in certain important facilities in Tamil Nadu will be held on Wednesday, May 7, as directed by the Union’s Ministry of Home Affairs. The exercise will be held at 4 p.m. at Madras Atomic Power Station in Kalpakkam and Chennai Port Trust Campuses
The official release of the Tamil Nadu government said: “During this exercise, activities will be carried out in these two important facilities to respond to incoming air strikes. Conditions will be simulated to check the preparation of the system to respond to any emergency situation.”
Karnataka
As part of the National Civil Defense Exercise – Operation Abrahias – prepares civilians and officials to respond to potential threats, following the Pahalgam terrorist attack, air strike warning and reaction exercise on April 22, in the tension with Pakistan, will be carried out in Bangalore, Karwar, Karwar, Raichur, Raichur, Mysuru and Mandya districts, the next week statement said: “In Karnataka, Malapura, Shaktinagara (Raichur) and Bangalore have been included in the second-class civil defense towns.”
Such a first exercise will be held on Wednesday at the Civil Defence Headquarters in Ursol, Bangalore. All members of the city’s council are expected to participate in the exercise. In preparations, civil defense personnel reviewed all 35 air force sirens, which were installed primarily in the famous fire and police stations in Bangalore on Tuesday, and found three police stations malfunctioning. “These sirens can be heard over a radius of 3 km. They indicate high alarms and possible air strikes that may prompt people to safely shelter.”
Maharashtra
Officials said civil defense simulation exercises will be conducted at 16 locations in 10 districts in Maharashtra.
Senior Civil Defense Defense officials told PTI that more than 10,000 civil defense academy cadets and family guard volunteers will participate in the simulation exercise as part of a large-scale national preparation. In Maharashtra, simulation exercises will be conducted in the areas of Mumbai, Pune, Thana, Regard, Jargon, Nashik, chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ratnagiri, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Palghar. The simulation exercise will begin at 4 p.m. and alarm sounds are sounded at multiple locations.
Haryana
Haryana has made careful preparations to ensure the state's drills are successful, a senior official said. Other chief secretary Sumita Misra said Haryana was fully prepared to conduct simulation exercises and rehearsals on multiple levels until the village. According to the official statement, 10 districts in Haryana are designated as civil defense towns of Class II, namely Ambala, Faridabad, Gurugram, Hisar, Panchkula, Panipat, Panipat, Rohtak, Sirsa, Sonipat and Yamunanagar and Yamunanagar and Jhajjar and Jhajjar.
Uttar Pradesh
A comprehensive civil defense simulation exercise will be conducted in all areas of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, coordinated with police, fire departments, disaster response forces and local governments to assess emergency preparedness. “Although the central government has identified simulated exercises in 19 regions based on the sensitivity category, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to extend it to all regions,” said Prashant Kumar, director-general of police. He added: “One region falls into Class A, C is C and the rest is Class D. We consider it statewide preparation.”
Bareilly will observe a power outage across the district from 8 pm to 8:10 pm on May 7. DM and civil defense controller Avinash Singh urged residents to turn off all lights, inverters and avoid using flashlights or moving torches during this period.
Rajasthan
Officials in Rajasthan on Tuesday reviewed preparations for a large civil defense simulation exercise “Operation Abhyaas” to be held in 28 cities in the state under the guidance of the Centre, which categorized Kota and Rawatbhata in the border state as “the most sensitive”. Police sources said the center has divided the city into three categories of civil defense to protect the war. Among them, Kota and Rawatbhata (Chittorgarh) are placed in the most sensitive urban category.
Sources said Jaipur was placed in the second category of cities with “less sensitive” and eight cities were labeled “most insensitive.”
Gujarat
Officials said it was a civil defense simulation exercise and power outage conducted in 18 areas of Gujarat on May 7, as part of national preparations to assess the country's readiness for any hostile attacks.
Gujarat Harsh Sanghavi said that although the simulation exercise will be held in each of the 18 regions at 4 pm, citizens will participate in the “power outage” simulation exercise by turning off the lights between 7.30 pm and pm. In Gujarat, the simulation exercise will be in Vadodara, Surat, Tapi, Patan, Banaskantha, Ahmedabad, Jamnagar, Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Morbi, Gir Somnath, Mehsana, Mehsana, Narmada, Narmada, Narmada, Navsari, Navsari, Navsari, Navsari, Dang, Kutch, Kutch, Bharuch, Bharuch, Gandhinagar and Bhavnagar and Bhavnagar, Heavnagar, Hee Hehe Hehe Hehe Hehe Hehe Hehe Hehe Hehef.
Assam
Officials here said that, following the instructions of the central government, extensive simulation exercises will be conducted on 14 “civil defense zones” in Assam. The official said the simulation exercise will begin at 4 p.m. and will continue until all steps are covered.
Andhra Pradesh
A civil defense simulation exercise will be conducted on May 7 at two locations in Andhra Pradesh, an official said. Visakhapatnam regional collector MN Harendhira Prasad said two locations – Kotha Jalaripeta and Oxygen Towers – have been selected for drills.
“Tomorrow's (Wednesday) simulation exercises are being conducted at two locations. One is in the old town near the old post office, Kotha Jalaripeta, and the second is in the oxygen tower,” Prasad told PTI. Collectors say the air strike will be simulated at 4 p.m. in Kotha Jalaripeta, which requires what needs to be done in an air bombing such as evacuation.
“At 7 p.m. at both locations – Oxygen and Kotha Jalaripeta – there will be a power outage,” he said.
West Bengal
A senior official said the West Bengal government will study the readiness of each security system on Wednesday, part of a growing relationship with Pakistan following the Pakistani terrorist attacks. “There are more than 90 sirens in Kolkata and 25-30 sirens in each area. In tomorrow's simulation exercise, preparations for each safety system will be checked. They will be checked for proper functioning,” state officials said.
He said a simulation exercise will be conducted over the next seven days starting Wednesday, adding that during this period the sirens will be activated.
“The public will not be included, but everyone involved in safety must participate so that safety can be provided to the public in an emergency,” the official said.
Tripura
A senior official said the Civil Defense Simulation Exercise will be held in all eight areas of Tripura on Wednesday to check preparations for any emergency situations. Civil Defense Volunteers, Tripura State Rifle (TSR), Apada Mitra, NCC cadets and family guards will participate in the one and a half hours of sports. The sirens will be issued at 4pm and 5pm
Chandigarh
The Chandigarh government will conduct a 10-minute power outage exercise on Wednesday and calls on residents to shut down electricity from their sites during the exercise. Chandigarh Deputy Director Nishant Kumar Yadav told reporters that the power outage will be held from 7:30 pm to 7:40 pm on Wednesday.
As part of the exercise, the air strike alarm sirens will be activated at 7:30 pm and continue for 10 minutes.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
An official said the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has been fully prepared for the civil defense simulation exercise held on Wednesday. The simulation exercise is scheduled to be tested at 4pm on Wednesday at Jawaharlal Nehru Rajkeeya Mahavidyalaya (JNRM Academy) in Port Blair
