Independence Day preparation: Mock drill across Delhi on Thursday, Friday

The officer added that the Special Cell of the Delhi Police will head the mock drill, and it will also coordinate with different agencies, such as the Delhi Fire Services, resident welfare associations, civil defence volunteers, the traffic police, and the health department, among others, to carry out the drill.

“The mock drills will test the agencies’ preparedness through various scenarios and will help sharpen their response times,” he further said.

So far, metro stations, government hospitals, shopping centres, college campuses, and the airport have been earmarked for conducting the drills.

The mock drill is taking place two months after similar drills were carried out in 55 locations in Delhi following the Pahalgam terror attack. In May, the drills simulated multiple hostile scenarios – incoming air raids with siren activation and blackout procedures, urban fire emergencies, search and rescue operations, casualty evacuation, temporary hospital setups, and evacuation of civilians to demilitarised zones/bunkers.

Last year, the Delhi Police amped up security considerably in the Red Fort area in the run-up to Independence Day. They mapped out strategic areas for snipers and SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) commandos, and installed 700 AI-based facial recognition CCTV cameras in central and New Delhi.

As part of the security arrangements last year, the Delhi Police also had to keep a close eye on the wind direction on August 15 and keep ‘kite-catchers’ on reserve to stop loose kites from flying down to the Red Fort.