Amid India-Pakistan tensions, Punjab’s Ferozepur Cantt conducts blackout drill for 30 minutes

At the sound of a siren, all lights were turned off as per the advisory issued by the Ferozepur Cantonment Board. Residents were told about the drill through a letter issued by the Board on Saturday (May 3) but made public on Sunday. It had advised residents to remain indoors and switch off the lights from 9 pm to 9.30 pm on Sunday.

Deputy Commissioner Deepshikha Sharma had assured residents that there was no need to panic as the blackout was part of a routine drill. Instructions were issued to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to cut the electricity supply during the designated time. Residents were also advised not to use generator sets or any other power backup systems during the mock drill.

Parveen Aggarwal, 70, and a resident of the cantonment area, said that he has seen similar drills in 1965 and 1971. “Earlier, it used to be a complete blackout and we were not allowed to use even match sticks. This time, the drill was not implemented properly as lights of CCTV cameras in markets and sign boards were on,” he said, adding that the last such blackout drill was conducted in 2001.

Inder Gupta, a garment businessman and BJP president of Ferozepur cantonment said, “The roads were also full of traffic. People should have reached their houses by 9 pm.”

Heera Sodhi, former State Information Commissioner whose house falls in the cantonment area, said, “Before the blackout, announcements were made in the city and cantonment area via loudspeakers by the civil and police administration. Around 20,000 people live in the cantonment area, which includes both army personnel and civilians. Most shopkeepers shut their shops by 8.30 pm on Sunday and proceeded to their houses.”

Electric rickshaws were used for announcements at various locations. Residences of the Deputy Commissioner, Senior Superintendent of Police, Session Judge, and other bureaucrats are also located in the cantonment area, which observed the blackout for half an hour.

Sodhi added, “We last saw such a blackout mock drill in December 2001 and January 2002 after the December 13, 2001 Parliament attack. For many youngsters this was a new experience. We were told not to even ignite a candle, and we had to follow all instructions.”

Baljinder Singh, former sarpanch of Hussainiwala, said, “Such drills took place in 2002 as well and sirens were sounded before blackouts. So people are anxious, we stand by the Army and will do as they say.”

Meanwhile, cantonment residents said that heavy deployment of police and Army personnel was visible not just in the cantonment but also in the city area. Security forces were seen on alert even on rooftops of many houses as part of the exercise. Posters had also been printed and displayed at selected locations on Sunday to inform people about the drill.

However, as news of the exercise spread, panic buying of ration and essentials began in areas near the cantonment. Amritpal Singh, a resident of Guru Har-Sahai in Ferozepur district, said, “People have started hoarding supplies, fearing something bigger may be coming. The timing and secrecy of the drill have left many unsettled.”

Sources said that a few residents from Hazara village, situated close to the international border, moved out two days ago fearing escalation. The situation in Hussainiwala, another sensitive border village in Ferozepur district, is equally tense. “There is an air of unease. Many villagers are contemplating leaving, especially families with children,” said a resident.

Punjab shares a 553-km-long border with Pakistan, covering six districts – Ferozepur, Fazilka, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, and Pathankot.