India to conduct mock drills on May 7 amid escalating tension with Pak

The Union Home Ministry has asked all states to conduct mock drills on May 7 amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.

The measures to be taken during the drill include operationalisation of air raid warning sirens and training of civilians on civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a "hostile attack", a communication to chief secretaries of all states and administrators of Union territories said.

The other measures are provisions of crash blackout measures, early camouflaging of vital plants and installations and updation of evacuation plans and their rehearsal.

"In the current geo-political scenario, new and complex threats/challenges have emerged, hence, it would be prudent that optimum Civil Defence preparedness in the states/UTs is maintained at all times," the communication from the Directorate General Fire Service, Civil Defence and Home Guards said.

It said that the government has decided to organise Civil Defence Exercise and Rehearsal across the 244 categorised Civil Defence Districts of the country on May 7.

"The conduct of the exercise is planned up to the village level. This exercise aims to assess and enhance the readiness of Civil Defence mechanisms across all States and Union Territories," a letter said.

It said that active participation of the district controller, various district authorities, civil defence wardens/volunteers, Home Guards (active /reservists volunteers), NCC, NSS, NYKS, college / school students is envisaged in the exercise.

"The said Civil Defence Exercise is aimed to assess the operational efficacy and operational coordination of various civil defence measures," it said.

The Delhi government is likely to hold a meeting to discuss preparations for mock drills, following a directive from the MHA to the states to conduct them on Wednesday amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.

According to official sources, the government is planning to hold an inter-department meeting on Tuesday to chalk out a plan to conduct the drills.

"A meeting is likely to be held on May 6 with fire, police and other departments," said a source.

The MHA has asked all the states to conduct mock drills on May 7. The measures to be taken during the drill include operationalisation of air raid warning sirens and training of civilians on civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a "hostile attack", government sources said.

The other measures include provisions of a crash blackout, early camouflaging of vital plants and installations and updation of evacuation plans and their rehearsal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been holding a series of high-level meetings, including with top defence functionaries, as India weighs its options for countermeasures against the April 22 terror attack which left 26 civilians, mostly tourists, dead.

Modi has vowed to pursue the perpetrators and those part of the conspiracy to the "ends of the earth" to inflict punishment on them "beyond their imagination".