A first in city: Two-day anti-terror mock drill begins ahead of I-Day
The city on Thursday witnessed a series of exercises as part of a massive, pan-Capital mock drill, a first-ever ahead of the Independence Day.
The drill comes in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack followed by the Indian national response in the form of Operation Sindoor.
The two-day anti-terror preparedness exercise began from Delhi’s landmark Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) in Central district’s Kashmere Gate area.
As part of the anti-terror, anti-sabotage drill here, alarms were sounded regarding the presence of suspicious articles, prompting action from the police and bomb disposal squad.
Delhi police officials said the drill marks the first large-scale exercise of its kind in the Capital since Operation Sindoor.
The last multi-location drill was conducted at 55 sites in Delhi following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, including a Nepali national.
The mock drill began with a simulated report of a suspicious object at the Kashmere Gate ISBT, a major transportation hub connecting the Capital city to several northern states.
In response, a team of security personnel stationed outside the premises quickly sprang into action, rushing to the scene and cordoning off the area to ensure public safety.
Meanwhile, another team of responders initiated the evacuation of people from the spot, guiding them to safety with calm and authority and it concluded with no suspicious item found message from the cops.
The Kashmere Gate ISBT handles 2,600 buses a day and witnesses around 1 lakh commuter footfall daily. This footfall makes the ISBT one of the busiest bus terminals in India.
After the drill, an official from the police stated that the exercise aims to test the preparedness, coordination and response of various agencies in handling potential terror-related situations.
By simulating real-life scenarios, the drill will help identify areas for improvement and enhance the overall security apparatus in the city, he said.
The official said the Special Cell of the Delhi Police is heading the mock drill, and it is in coordination with various agencies such as the Delhi Fire Services, Resident Welfare Associations, civil defence volunteers, traffic police and the Health Department, among others.
In the last month too, a large-scale drill conducted at the Rajiv Chowk Metro station on the night of June 27-28, between 1:05 am and 4:25 am aimed at assessing the emergency response and coordination among agencies in the event of a major crisis.
Delhi