Mock drills to be held at two locations in Andhra Pradesh on May 7

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh): The civil defence mock drills will be conducted at two locations here, on May 7, in accordance with the instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), said an official on Tuesday.

The mock drills, being held in response to the "new and complex threats" that have emerged amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Visakhapatnam district Collector M N Harendhira Prasad said two locations -- Kotha Jalaripeta and Oxygen Towers -- have been chosen for the drill.

"Tomorrow's (Wednesday) mock drill we are planning in two locations. One in the old town, near the old post office, Kotha Jalaripeta and the second one is in the Oxygen Towers," Prasad told PTI.

The collector said the air raid will be simulated at Kotha Jalaripeta at 4 pm, entailing what needs to be done in the event of aerial bombings such as evacuation and others.

"At 7 pm in both the locations--Oxygen Towers and Kotha Jalaripeta--there will be a blackout," he said.

People living in these two places should switch off lights for 15 minutes from 7 pm, said Prasad, adding that electricity will also be turned off during this time.

Oxygen Towers is the tallest residential building in the city, which could be the likely target of an aerial raid in the event of a war, prompting the government to choose it.

After Wednesday's drill, Prasad said this exercise will be expanded to all the areas of the port city over a period of time, taking a few wards at a time and then, probably, within a month's time, we will try and cover all the locations.

Due to paucity of time, Visakhapatnam district administration is carrying out the drill only in two areas of the city, he said.

Multiple departments--police, Navy, fire, SDRF, NDRF, health, education and others--will participate, he added.