Karnataka To Conduct Mock Drills In Bengaluru, Karwar & Raichur On May 7

Bengaluru: Mock drills will be conducted in Bengaluru, Karwar, and Raichur on May 7, given the "new and complex threats" that have emerged amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Director General of Police Prashant Kumar Thakur said the drills will continue for a week and are aimed at identifying and addressing gaps in preparedness and resources.

"Mock drills will be held at three locations in the state, including Bengaluru city, which is a metropolitan area with numerous defence establishments and is a very sensitive district for Karnataka," Thakur said.

"The second location is Karwar in Uttara Kannada district, home to the Kaiga nuclear power station. The third is Raichur, selected due to the thermal power station there," he added.

Speaking to reporters, Thakur said, "We have discussed the mock drill components with the Ministry of Home Affairs." He clarified that sirens are not the sole component of the drill. The exercise also includes hospital mobilisation, relief efforts, and rescue operations.

There are about 5,000 civil defence personnel in Bengaluru, all of whom will be activated and deployed across the city as part of the drill, he added.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has instructed all states to conduct such mock drills.

Thakur said the drill will be held at 4 pm tomorrow, with the timing chosen to account for both daytime and nighttime scenarios, from Northeast India to Gujarat.

The civil defence organisational structure includes people from diverse backgrounds-doctors, students, NCC cadets, and others. All of them have been trained and will be briefed and tested during the drill. By deploying them, we aim to assess and fix the gaps in preparation and resources, thereby building capability and confidence, he said.

Thakur noted that sirens have been installed at various police and fire stations.

In Bengaluru, 35 sirens have been deployed, of which 32 are functional, each with a range of approximately 3 km.

"People should know what actions to take when they hear the siren. We are expecting a formal guideline from Delhi on this. The decision regarding the drill was taken yesterday in Delhi, and we were informed last night," he said.

A video conference was held on Tuesday to finalise plans. We must assess our preparedness and address any shortcomings, he added.

According to a communication from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the measures to be taken during the mock drills include operationalising air-raid warning sirens, training civilians on civil defence procedures to protect themselves during a "hostile attack" and clearing bunkers and trenches.

Other steps include implementing crash-blackout measures, camouflaging vital plants and installations, and updating and rehearsing evacuation plans, according to a letter sent to the Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories.

The drills will also involve activating hotline and radio-communication links with the Indian Air Force (IAF), and testing the functionality of control rooms and shadow control rooms.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

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