Civilian mock drills that were planned for Thursday evening in states near the Pakistan border have been postponed for ‘administrative reasons’. The governments of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Jammu and Kashmir said they delayed the drills following instructions from the Home Ministry.
Meanwhile, Punjab will now hold its drill on June 3. Haryana has also delayed its state-wide civilian safety drill, called Operation Shield.
India held its first mock drill since 1971 earlier this month, just hours before starting Operation Sindoor. The new round of drills is expected to follow the same plan and is meant to check how ready civilians and officials are if tensions with Pakistan increase. The drills were set to start at 5 pm in different border districts, with plans for power blackouts and various training activities for civilians as part of the nationwide exercise on May 7.
List of States Participating in the Drills
The Directorate General of Fire Service and Home Guards had earlier said that a civil defence drill called Operation Shield would take place in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, and Chandigarh. Barmer District Collector Tina Dabi told ANI that the drills were planned for Thursday evening in several districts near the Pakistan border. The plan included sounding sirens and testing emergency response systems. Haryana also said that all 22 of its districts would take part, with a short power blackout starting at 8:00 pm.
Since then, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, and Chandigarh have postponed their drills, following an order from the Home Ministry. It is not yet known when the drills will be rescheduled or if there will be any changes. Punjab has said it will now hold the drill next week.
Punjab drills on June 3?
According to the report, the Punjab government wrote to the central government on Wednesday, suggesting June 3 as the new date for the drill. They mentioned that their civil defence teams were currently being trained by the National Disaster Response Force. A senior Punjab Police officer said the Centre agreed to the new date. All deputy commissioners in Punjab have been informed that the civil defence drill will now be held in every district on June 3.