In response to emerging security threats following the recent Pahalgam terror attack, the MHA has ordered mock drills in nearly 300 ‘civil defence districts’ across India. These districts contain sensitive installations such as nuclear plants, refineries, and military bases.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has directed all states to conduct mock drills in nearly 300 ‘civil defence districts’. These house critical infrastructure such as nuclear power plants, refineries, hydroelectric dams, and military installations. The drills will include air-raid siren testing, civil defence training for civilians in the event of a “hostile attack,” and cleaning and inspecting bunkers and trenches.
The initiative follows a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, where top civil and police officials from across the country discussed public participation in the mock exercises, according to official sources. The directive comes in the wake of heightened security concerns following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
According to sources, the term ‘civil defence district’ refers not to regular administrative units but to areas designated by state authorities based on the presence of vital installations. These districts are specially identified for emergency preparedness exercises and may encompass parts of larger districts.
Need for ‘optimum civil defence preparedness’
A communication from the Directorate General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards to the states and Union Territories cited “new and complex threats” in the current geopolitical climate, particularly following tensions with Pakistan, and emphasised the need for “optimum civil defence preparedness.”
The mock drills, scheduled for May 7, will include wide-ranging participation from school and college students, hospital staff, employees of both government and private institutions, railway and metro authorities, and personnel from the police, paramilitary, and armed forces. Volunteers from the National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS), Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), and home guards will also be involved.
Key activities during the exercises will include:
- Operationalisation of air-raid warning sirens
- Training civilians in civil defence techniques
- Crash-blackout measures and camouflaging of vital installations
- Rehearsals of evacuation plans
- Testing of hotline and radio communication links with the Indian Air Force
- Functionality checks of control and shadow control rooms
Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Prashant Kumar said that although the Centre identified 19 districts in the state for the drills, the state government has decided to expand the exercise to all districts. “The mock drills will involve all verticals—civil administration, police, fire services, and disaster response forces,” he said in Lucknow.
The home ministry’s plan also calls for extending the drills down to the village level, aiming to assess and strengthen coordination among all stakeholders in civil defence mechanisms.
(With PTI inputs )
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