New Delhi, May 6: Public response to air raid warning sirens, steps to take during blackout and evacuation strategies are likely to be among a host of instructions that will be given to citizens during a mock drill in 244 identified civil defence districts on Wednesday to practice response to a ‘hostile attack’, an official said.

On Tuesday, the Union Home Secretary, Govind Mohan, discussed the details of the drill with the chiefs of Civil Defence and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) -- the two forces tasked to conduct the mock drill amid growing tensions with Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack.

The meeting on mock drills coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in the morning in the backdrop of a speculated strong military response from India to bring to justice the perpetrators of the terror attack that left 26 people dead in Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam.

In the meeting on mock drill, chaired by the Home Secretary, officials took stock of the preparations and the need to upgrade the civil defence infrastructure in different districts.

The officials -- many of whom had joined the meeting via video conference from across the country -- shared details about setting up hotlines, control rooms and radio-communication links with the Indian Air Force.

During the drill, civilians would be advised to keep ready their first-aid kits, torch, candle and keep cash in hand in case of failure of digital monetary instruments, said an official.

The last such drill was conducted in the run-up to the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, in which the latter was defeated and Bangladesh was created.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, "The conduct of the exercise is planned up to the village level. This exercise aims to assess and enhance the readiness of Civil Defence mechanisms across all States and Union Territories."

The Ministry’s notification also mentions that civilians must be trained to respond to a "hostile attack".

The notification specifies that the drill should see "active participation of the District Controller, various district authorities, civil defence wardens/volunteers, Home Guard (active /reservist volunteers), NCC, NSS, NYKS, college and school students".

O.P. Singh, former police chief of Uttar Pradesh and NDRF adviser, told IANS, “The main objective of civil defence drill is to minimise harm to people and property.”

“The driving principle is that each person is responsible for her or his survival,” he said, highlighting that the groundwork done through mock drills helps the restoration of normalcy and continuity after a crisis.

He highlighted that a mock drill may vary according to the proximity of an area to the border or the kind of threat of attack.

“There are different kinds of preparation needs in case of an air attack or a missile attack,” he said.

During the mock drill, people will be trained about what to do in case of a blackout and steps not to take in such a situation so that his or her location gets identified, he said.

--IANS

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