Mock drill gives a real feel of civil defence prep in capital

ON Wednesday afternoon, Rajmahal Square, a bustling commercial centre of Bhubaneswar, had all the shops shut. At 4 pm, a siren went off and within no time, people on the busy Janpath were down on the road with public address systems blaring instructions to citizens to move to safety, as if an air raid was coming in.

- ASISH MEHTA @Bhubaneswar

As all of India checked civil defence preparedness in wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, Bhubaneswar and 11 other centres too joined the massive mock drill on the day.

The exercise, first-of-its-kind since the 1971 war, was held in Talcher, Balasore, Koraput, Gopalpur, Hirakud, Paradip, Rourkela, Bhadrak, Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara apart from Bhubaneswar.

In the state capital, the well-planned mock drill aimed to prepare the authorities and citizens for large-scale emergencies was organised between Rajmahal Square and Sishu Bhawan Square. Volunteers of various departments and civilians who participated in the drill could be seen taking cover on the roads.