Chandigarh, May 7 — Civil defence authorities on Wednesday carried out mock drills and blackout rehearsals across multiple districts in Punjab as part of a nationwide emergency preparedness exercise directed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
The coordinated drills were staged in Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Bathinda, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Patiala, Pathankot, Barnala, and Mohali. Simulated scenarios included fire breakouts and mass rescue operations, with trained volunteers acting as victims being carried to ambulances and emergency teams demonstrating coordinated responses.
Timed blackout rehearsals also took place, with air raid sirens activated and power supply deliberately cut in selected areas. In Mohali and Chandigarh, electricity was shut down from 7:30 to 7:40 p.m. In other cities, the timings varied—Sangrur saw a blackout from 8:30 to 8:40 p.m., Ludhiana from 8 to 8:30 p.m., and Ferozepur from 9 to 9:30 p.m. Officials confirmed that hospitals and medical institutions were exempted from the cuts.
Authorities said the exercises were meant to evaluate real-time readiness and test inter-agency coordination in light of “new and complex threats” following the recent Pahalgam terror attack.
“These drills are precautionary and aimed at strengthening public safety,” said Mohali SSP Deepak Pareek. “People should cooperate fully and trust only official sources of information.”
Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal added that while there was no specific threat to Mohali, airspace over the district had been closed until further notice “as a preventive measure.”
In Ludhiana, emergency teams conducted fire and rescue drills at the Verka Milk Plant on Ferozepur Road.
Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain reassured the public that the drill was a proactive step to enhance preparedness.
In Chandigarh, the drills unfolded at three key sites, including ISBT-17. The Union Territory’s top officials, including Chief Secretary Rajeev Verma and Home Secretary Mandeep Brar, were on ground to oversee the simulation.
The large-scale exercise saw participation from fire services, police, health departments, disaster response teams, municipal bodies, Civil Defence, NCC, and NSS volunteers, reflecting a high degree of inter-agency coordination.
