Mock drills, air raid sirens, blackouts: Tricity tests its readiness

A series of mock drills and blackout rehearsals were carried out across Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula on Wednesday as part of a nationwide mega civil defence exercise in wake of escalating tensions with Pakistan.

A near-complete blackout was observed from 7:30 pm to 7:40 pm after the air raid warning sirens went off. Barring a few places, residents and establishments switched off the lights. Motorists, excluding a few, parked their vehicles on roadsides and turned off their headlights.

In Sector 61, bordering Mohali, Sector 34, Sector 16, residents said the siren was not loud enough while there were reports that streetlights remained on in Chandigarh Housing Board flats in Sector 51, parts of Ramdarbar and Modern Housing Complex. There were also reports that shops and showrooms in some parts also failed to adhere to the blackout call.

In Chandigarh’s Sector 40, Ajit Singh, a shopkeeper, said, “As soon as we heard the siren, we turned off the lights.”

Earlier in the day, a mock drill supervised by Panchkula MC chief Aparajita in Sector 20 was hampered by the delayed response of local police. She made a call to 112 for police assistance at 4:58 pm and sirens were activated for approximately 15 minutes, with the sound audible up to three kilometres, but the police team from the Sector 20 police station, located nearby, arrived almost half-an-hour later. The MC chief informed deputy commissioner (DC) Monika Gupta about the police delay.

A separate mock drill was conducted at district secretariat, Sector 1, at 4 pm, supervised by DC Monika Gupta, DCP Himadree Kaushik, and other officers. The building was evacuated, and fire brigade personnel used ladders and ropes to rescue simulated injured and unconscious occupants from the first floor. Some injured persons were carried out on shoulders. NCC and NSS volunteers from Government PG College, Sector-1, also participated. During this drill, an ambulance was delayed at the gate due to a traffic jam caused by a crane. The “injured” were then transported to the PWD Rest House by bus. In addition to these drills, a district-wide blackout was observed from 7:50 pm to 8 pm.

Mock drills were also conducted at Bestech Mall in Mohali, ISBT-17 in Chandigarh, Piccadilly Sector-34 and M/s Punjab Waste Plant Company Private Limited, Industrial Area Phase-1, and other public places, simulating emergency scenarios such as building collapses, fires, and air strikes. In Chandigarh, the education department conducted mock drills in over 20 schools including Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS) Khuda Ali Sher, GMSSS Behlana, Government Model High School-II Maloya, PM SHRI GGMSSS-18, GMSSS-19, GMSSS-37, GMSSS-40 and GMSSS-45.

Mohali deputy commissioner Komal Mittal said the drill was conducted to raise public awareness and ensure readiness for any district-wide emergency. She urged residents to remain calm.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Deepak Pareek said the district police are fully geared up to cope with any emergency situation.

Docs’ leaves cancelled

Meanwhile, the UT health department has instructed all medical officers and staff to be prepared for emergency duty 24/7. Leaves of medical officers and staff posted at Government Multi Specialty Hospital, Sector-16, Ayushman Arogya Mandir and Urban Arogya Ayushman Mandir, have been cancelled.

Medical officers have been asked to be available on phone and report for duty immediately when called. The directive will remain in effect until further notice.