Civil defence preparedness exercise in Belagavi, Vijayapura-OxBig News Network

Fire and emergency service personnel and others participate in a mock drill in Belagavi on May 18, 2025
| Photo Credit: P.K. Badiger

Officers and personnel of various agencies were involved in conducting civil defence mock drills in Belagavi and Vijayapura districts on Saturday (May 17, 2025) and Sunday (May 18, 2025).

In Belagavi on Saturday, officers organised a mock drill about a Hydrogen tank explosion in which around 25 workers were rescued.

The district disaster management authority oversaw the drill at the Gold Plus factory in Kanagala Industrial Area near Hukkeri. It was conducted to demonstrate how various departments work together to quickly and effectively deal with a hydrogen tank explosion at the factory and mitigate its consequences.

Officers arranged rescue operations for over 25 workers following a hydrogen tank explosion and showed how the injured were treated by providing first aid at medical posts and sending them to the taluk hospital or district hospital. As many as 10 seriously injured were taken to the government hospital in Sankeshwar, 10 injured were taken to the district hospital by ambulance for further treatment and 5 injured were given first aid, the bodies of two workers who died were sent to the government hospital for post-mortem.

As many as 200 factory personnel, 13 Fire Brigade personnel, 16 SDRF personnel, 30 medical personnel, 20 Revenue Department personnel participated in the mock demonstration. Superintendent of Fire and emergency services Shashidhar Neelgara, SDRF deputy commandant S a Sharanabasava, District Disaster Management Expert Ningana Gouda, and others were present.

Similar mock drills were organised at Almatti in Vijayapura district on Saturday.

On Sunday, Belagavi police and Belagavi city corporation organized a blackout mock demonstration in the evening to create awareness about an enemy attack and civic preparedness. The event was attended by dignitaries near Hanuman Temple in Hanuman Nagar. It was aimed at educating residents on fire safety and emergency response without causing panic, officers said.