Civil defence drills carried out across border states, UTs

Operation Shield, a mega civil defence drill scheduled across the border states of Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, as well as the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir was carried out on Saturday with an aim to bolster emergency preparedness amid ongoing geopolitical tensions with Pakistan.

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In Kashmir, a blackout was observed from 8pm to 8.15pm as lights of government buildings, houses and business establishments were turned off. Lights were turned off in the Lal Chowk City centre and the historic Ghanta Ghar, an official said.

Similar blackout was observed in the Jammu region.

Akhnoor sub divisional magistrate Mukhtar Ahmed said, "The drills were conducted to check our preparedness to meet any contingency. We created a scene of an enemy shell hitting a residential area that caused death and injuries." The authorities in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, too, conducted the exercise.

In Haryana, blackout rehearsals began at around 8 pm which continued from 10 minutes to half-an-hour in various cities.