Odisha: Additional Chief Secretary chairs review meeting on mock drill

Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India], May 6 (ANI): Odisha Additional Chief Secretary Satyabrata Sahoo chaired a review meeting on Tuesday with senior officials and Superintendents of Police (SPs) of respective districts following directives from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Civil Defence Mock Drill on May 7.
The senior officials and Superintendents of Police (SPs) of respective districts participated virtually in the meeting. The meeting was conducted at the Home Department.
After the directives of the Union Home Ministry, various states have been preparing for the mock drill.
Authorities in Kashmir are set to conduct a Civil Defence Mock Drill on Wednesday at around 4 pm in the valley, said the official handle of the Srinagar Police while urging the public to cooperate and remain calm during the exercise.
In view of the planning of the mock drill, Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi held a meeting and reviewed the proposed action plan.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said that mock drills for effective civil defence will be held in five major cities in the state on May 7 as part of nationwide exercise on the call of the Union Home Ministry.
Earlier, Union Home Ministry has asked several states to conduct mock drills on May 7 to enhance Civil Defence effectiveness. The measures to be undertaken include operationalisation of Air Raid Warning Sirens and training of civilians, students, and others on Civil Defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a hostile attack.
According to a letter written to Chief Secretaries, the Union Home Ministry said the exercise aims to assess and enhance the readiness of Civil Defence mechanisms across states and Union Territories.
The exercise is planned up to the village level. "Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to organise Civil Defence Exercise and rehearsal across 244 categorised Civil Defence Districts of the country on May 7, 2025," the letter said.
The primary objectives of the mock drill include assessing the effectiveness of air raid warning systems, operationalisation of hotline, radio communication links with IAF, testing functionality of control rooms and shadow rooms, training of civilians including students on civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of hostile attack and provision of crash blackout measures.
The objectives also include the provision of early camouflaging of vital installations, to verify the activation and response of Civil Defence Services including warden services, firefighting, rescue operations and depot management, assessing the implementation of crash blackout measures and evaluating the preparedness of evacuation plans and their execution.
The Home Ministry had on May 2 written to Chief Secretaries of all states and UTs about civil defence preparedness in the vulnerable areas and districts.
Tensions have risen between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. The government has said that perpetrators of the terror attack will face severe punishment. (ANI)