Civil defence mock drills underway in five districts of Jharkhand

Ranchi, May 7 (PTI) Blaring alarm sirens marked the start of mock drills at six locations in Jharkhand on Wednesday, coinciding with India’s military strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), an official said.

The three-hour-long drills are being conducted in five districts — Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Godda, and Sahibganj — in coordination with civil defence organisations, the official added.

The drills were carried out following a directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which had asked states to conduct such exercises in light of "new and complex threats" emerging after the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians.

The exercise was part of a nationwide civil defence mock drill 'Operation Abhyaas', simulating multiple hostile scenarios like air raids, fire emergencies, and search and rescue operations.

In Ranchi, the exercise was held in Doranda area, under drizzling weather conditions, and is scheduled to continue until 7 PM.

Traffic routes were diverted to facilitate the simulation.

An emergency scenario was staged, involving coordinated responses from civil defence teams, police, fire services and medical personnel.

Local residents were informed about the nature of the drill to avoid panic.

"This exercise is a preparation to protect citizens and their families in an emergency. Common people are requested not to panic as it is just a mock drill," said Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri.

He said the civil defence mock drill is being conducted after such a direction came from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Jharkhand Police spokesperson and IG (Operations) Amol V Homkar said the main objective for such an exercise was to enhance coordination among various agencies, reduce disaster-response time, make it effective and create awareness among people.

An administrative official said various activities such as danger warnings through sirens, blackouts, keeping major infrastructure safe and evacuation of injured in case of an accident are being performed as part of the mock drill.

In retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes early Wednesday on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base Muridke.

The military strikes were carried out under 'Operation Sindoor' two weeks after the massacre of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. PTI SAN BDC SAN MNB