Panchkula gets cracking after mock drill jolt

District admn increases number of air sirens from a mere four to 164 in just one week; trains 4,000 civil defence volunteers

- Brijender Gaur

PANCHKULA: Jolted by glaring lapses during the May 7 mock drill, the Panchkula administration is undertaking an aggressive overhaul of its emergency preparedness, increasing the number of air sirens from a mere four to 164 in just one week and fast-tracking the training of 4,000 civil defence volunteers.

The installation of 160 new sirens across Panchkula, including in villages, was confirmed by a senior officer.

The breakdown of installations includes 135 by the administration, 20 by the municipal corporation and five by the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP).

Previously, only four sirens were located at the HMT, Bell Factory, DC office and Kalka railway station.

Apart from the significant expansion of the alert system, the district is also focusing on bolstering its human resources for emergency response.

Approximately 4,000 civil defence volunteers, largely college students, NCC cadets and NSS volunteers, have been enrolled and trained in essential life-saving skills.

These skills include CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), rescue techniques during air strikes and earthquakes, first aid administration and haemorrhage control.