Pahalgam Terror Attack News LIVE Updates | ‘Why didn’t Centre deploy security even after having intelligence report?’: Kharge amid Pahalgam aftermath

Delhi Airport’s Terminal 3, Khan Market, Kendriya Vidyalaya in Delhi Cantonment: These are among 55 locations where the Delhi government will conduct a mock drill exercise on Wednesday as the national capital prepares for a contingency plan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

These drills are scheduled to be conducted across the country, following a directive from the Union Home Ministry in light of rising Indo-Pakistan tensions after the attack that killed 26 people.

Codenamed ‘Operation Abhyas’, it will simulate multiple hostile scenarios — such as 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.

The exercises will start in the afternoon and will conclude at night. “Some parts of Delhi-NCR will witness complete blackouts in the evening hours following the sirens,” a police officer said.

Officials said the drills will be held across all 11 revenue districts — five locations per district — covering 660 schools and 40 markets.

For instance, in New Delhi, the drill will take place at Khan Market, the New Delhi Municipal Council office building (Palika Kendra), Charak Palika Hospital, Vasant Vihar D-6 residential colony, and Kendriya Vidyalaya in Delhi Cantonment.

In East Delhi, the drill will be conducted at Maharishi Valmiki College of Education, Scope Minar, DM East Office, Kondli Market, and Sahyog Apartments at 4 pm. Read Here

While the MHA communication to states has come in the wake of the Pahalgam attacks, it does not make any specific mention of an impending threat. It merely says that “this exercise aims to assess and enhance the readiness of Civil Defence mechanisms across all States and Union Territories”. It does, however, mention “training of civilians …in the event of hostile attack”.

It says the issue of strengthening of Civil Defence set up had been emphasised by PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah during their address at the ‘Chintan Shivir’ held at Surajkund, Haryana in October 2022, following which the MHA sent a DO Letter to states and UTs on January 16, 2023 regarding the same.

Yet, the timing of the communication and the emphasis on conducting drills (which was not part of the 2023 communication) cannot be ignored. The last time such elaborate drills were conducted in the country were during the build-up of the 1971 war. It also comes amid Pakistan test-firing two missiles over the past two days.

South Korea had similarly conducted a nation-wide civil defence drill in August 2023, after North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile. Similar drills were carried out in Ukraine ahead of its war with Russia.

States and UTs have been asked to operationalise air raid warning sirens, implement crash blackout measures in selected areas and train civilians, including students, on safety protocols to follow during an aerial or ground assault. Other key measures include conducting rehearsals of evacuation plans and early camouflaging of vital installations such as power plants and military-linked infrastructure.

What are Civil Defence Districts?

Civil Defence Districts are demarcated areas or regions, including towns and districts, which the government designates for the implementation of civil defence programmes. These are demarcated on the recommendation of the Ministry of Defence. These demarcations are made based on the location of the towns or districts (such as near the borders), vulnerability to attacks, location of vital installations (such as defence installations, nuclear plants, thermal power plants, key government buildings, etc) and critical infrastructure (such as key highways, railways, ports etc.).

There are in all 259 Civil Defence Districts, notified by the MHA in 2010. These are spread across all states and UTs and divided into three categories. Category I districts (13) require full implementation of civil defence programmes, while category II (201) and Category III (45) require partial implementation in varying degrees.

The maximum number of such districts (32) are in West Bengal, followed by Rajasthan (28), Assam (20), Punjab (20) and J&K (20). Category I districts are notified in Delhi (including cantonment), Gujarat (Surat, Vadodara and Kakrapar), Maharashtra (Mumbai, Uran and Tarapur), Orissa (Talcher), Rajasthan (Kota, Rawat Bhata), Tamil Nadu (Chennai) and Uttar Pradesh (Bulandshahr).

According to an MHA communication of January 2023, however, Centre has “identified total of 295 vulnerable towns/ districts of the country where Civil Defencé measures needs to be implemented during the peace time”. Read

Pune Civil Defence officials said Tuesday that they have started activating their systems in coordination with the district administration, local armed forces formations, emergency services, police, and other civilian agencies, following the Centre’s directive to test and strengthen preparedness mechanisms in the event of a hostile attack.

Among the initial steps, the civil defence authorities have started testing around 75 sirens in and around the city and are holding coordination meetings with all stakeholder agencies.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had on Monday asked the states and Union Territories to conduct mock drills on May 7. The directive came amidst the heated situation at the Line of Control and tensions escalating over a likely Indian military response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

In Maharashtra, various important cities, including Pune, have offices of deputy controllers of civil defence. Officials from the Pune Deputy Controllerate said that from Tuesday morning they have started testing sirens installed in and around the region. Coordination meetings with stakeholder agencies are also underway. Read here

The BJP has urged citizens, party workers, students, and leaders to participate in a nationwide mock drill on May 7, initiated by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to boost preparedness against potential hostile attacks following the Pahalgam terror strike.

The drill will involve civil defence training, activation of air-raid sirens, bunker cleaning, blackout measures, and evacuation rehearsals, according to the PTI reports.

All states and Union Territories have been directed to implement these measures to enhance national security readiness.

Haryana will hold civil defence mock drills in 11 districts Wednesday as part of the nationwide preparedness exercise ordered by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to assess the country's readiness for any hostile attacks.

On Monday, the Centre directed northern and western states and Union Territories to test and strengthen civil defence mechanisms to enhance preparedness for potential wartime scenarios. The direction from the MHA has come in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, and the diplomatic stand-off between Indian and Pakistan.

As part of the national initiative, mock drills will be conducted at 259 locations across India, covering 13 sensitive zones under Category 1, 201 under Category 2, and 45 under Category 3. Among the 11 districts in Haryana where the mock drill will be conducted, 10 are in Category 2 and one is in Category 3. The timings of the mock drill will be finalised by Tuesday evening. Read