Civil defence mock drills conducted in 12 districts of Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Civil defence mock drills were conducted in 12 districts of Odisha Wednesday to assess the preparedness to deal with an emergency amid the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, officials said.

Among the cities where these drills were held were Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur and Rourkela, they said.

At the Raj Bhavan Square in Bhubaneswar, sirens were blared for five minutes from 4 pm, marking the beginning of the exercise.

People lay on the ground as fire services teams doused a controlled blaze and rescued some people stuck there. The situation returned to normal after another siren was blared.

Similar drills were conducted in Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Ganjam, Dhenkanal, Puri, Koraput and Sundargarh districts, officials said.

Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh said the drill was conducted with the participation of different agencies, including police, fire services, NCC, Army, Bharat Scouts and Guides, and trained volunteers.

During the drill, they displayed how to respond in case of a fire and evacuate people stranded in high-rise buildings, among others, he said.

“All were willing to give us assistance,” he said.

Such kinds of drills will make people prepared for war-like situations and also boost the morale of the security forces, Singh said.

The drills are being conducted across the country on the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

PTI

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