Mock drill will check readiness of security systems in Bengal: Official

Kolkata, The West Bengal government on Wednesday will examine the readiness of each security system as a part of the mock drill amid rising tension with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, a senior official said.

The drill will be conducted across West Bengal for the next seven days, he said.

"There are over 90 sirens in Kolkata and 25-30 sirens in various districts. In tomorrow's mock drill, the readiness of each security system will be checked. It will be checked whether they are working properly," the official of the state government said.

Sirens are installed on the roofs of 90 government buildings in Kolkata, including the Civil Defence building, Mahajati Sadan auditorium, Calcutta High Court, Kolkata Police Headquarters in Lalbazar, and several police stations.

Starting Wednesday, the mock drills will be conducted for the next seven days, he said, adding that the sirens will be activated during that period.

"The general public will not be included in them, but everyone involved in security will have to participate so that the general public can be provided with security in emergency-like situations," the official said.

According to sources, 55,000 civic volunteers and 7,200 'Aapda Mitra' have already been trained in the state as part of the mock drill, he said, adding that it would be possible to make the residents, youth and students of the area aware through them.

"NCC, scouts, and guides can also be used for awareness if necessary. In addition, municipalities, police, and fire departments are being made aware. In the case of districts, panchayats are being made aware. Social media is also being used," the official said.

"The state's civil defence and the police have been asked to ensure there is no panic. While creating awareness through various methods, government agencies and the general public will also be informed that the sound of the siren is very important," he said.

Talking to PTI, the official said, in the case of Kolkata, bunkers are 'inbuilt' because the underground part of the Metro Rail in the city could be considered as bunkers.

"The basement parking spaces of various shopping malls and multi-storey buildings in the city, and the underground parking spaces opposite Writers Buildings have also been identified as bunkers," he said.

Writers Buildings is the erstwhile state secretariat.

"In various districts of the state, bunkers could be built by cutting the banks of canals and covering them with tin roofs," he said.

The Union Home Ministry has announced that 31 mock drills will be held in a total of 23 districts of Bengal.

On Tuesday, during a virtual meeting between Union Home Secretary and West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, DG Civil Defence and other senior officials at the state secretariat, the administration was told that since the state has borders with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, special importance has been given to border security, the official said.

The state has told the Centre of having 62 satellite phones in its possession, he said.

According to a home ministry communication, the measures to be taken during the mock drills include the operationalisation of air-raid warning sirens, training civilians on civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a "hostile attack" and cleaning bunkers and trenches.

The other measures are provisions for crash-blackout measures, early camouflaging of vital plants and installations and updating and rehearsing evacuation plans, a letter to the chief secretaries of all states and administrators of Union territories said.

The mock drills also include the operationalisation of the hotline and radio-communication links with the Indian Air Force, testing the functionality of control rooms and shadow control rooms.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.