State Machinery Gears Up For Mock Drills At 20 Locations

Measures to be taken during the exercise include operationalisation of air-raid warning sirens and training civilians

- HTC & Agencies

CHANDIGARH: Preparations have been made for mock drills at 20 places in Punjab on Wednesday, officials said here. The Union home ministry had on Monday asked all states to conduct mock drills on Wednesday in view of "new and complex threats" that have emerged amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday said mock drills would be carried out at 20 places, including Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Bathinda, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Patiala, Pathankot, Barnala and Mohali. Preparations are almost complete for the mock drill, he added.

Cheema said the directions of the home ministry would be followed during the exercise. The objective of such a drill is to create awareness among the public and take necessary precautions in the event of any attack, said Cheema.

Meanwhile, Ferozepur deputy commissioner Deepshikha Sharma said that as part of the mock drill preparations, six civil defence sirens would be sounded in the city and Ferozepur Cantonment area from 7 pm to 7:15 pm on Tuesday. She said that there was no need to worry.

A senior police official in Ferozepur said a blackout rehearsal will be carried out from 9 pm to 9:30 pm on Wednesday. The official said police patrolling teams will be deployed.