From blackouts to air-raid sirens, Ghaziabad braces for mother of all drills today
Sources in the civil defence department said six schools in the city and four in the trans-Hindon region have been roped in for the drill, which is expected to engage around 25,000 students
Air-raid sirens, crash blackouts and rapid-response drills will unfold across Ghaziabad on Wednesday as the district joins a nationwide civil defence exercise aimed at testing wartime preparedness and civilian coordination in high-risk zones.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced a coordinated mock drill across 244 designated civil defence districts, in the wake of rising tensions with Pakistan following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, that left 26 tourists dead.
Ghaziabad is among the selected districts in Uttar Pradesh—alongside Lucknow, Kanpur city, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Agra, Jhansi, Meerut, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Bareilly, Mathura, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar (Chandauli) and Narora (Bulandshahr)—due to its strategic importance and presence of vital installations.
“As part of the drill, civil defence teams will test early-warning systems, sirens, blackout measures and public awareness protocols. We’ve held meetings with the civil defence and identified several schools for participation. Students will be briefed on how to respond to different types of sirens. I’ve also directed the health department, NCC, and others to take part. We will identify and assess any gaps,” said District Magistrate Deepak Meena.
According to officials, Ghaziabad has been selected specifically for housing critical infrastructure. Sources in the civil defence department said six schools in the city and four in the trans-Hindon region have been roped in for the drill, which is expected to engage around 25,000 students.
“Blackout drills have been proposed at two trans-Hindon sites and three within city limits. One high-rise near the air base will also take part. We’ve installed five large sirens (5 HP each), covering a 7–8 km radius. More may be added,” a civil defence source said.
A communication sent to all participating UP districts outlines the exercise’s nine-point agenda: to assess air attack warning systems; implement crash blackouts; evaluate control room readiness; train civilians and students in enemy attack protocols; camouflage vital sites; test civil defence and emergency services; evaluate evacuation plans; and execute blackout operations effectively.
“This is the first drill of its kind since the 1971 India-Pakistan war. Such exercises should become routine. They test readiness and raise public awareness. The aim is to underline that security isn’t just the responsibility of defence forces—citizens, too, are key players in national preparedness,” said Colonel TP Tyagi (retired), a local resident.
Mock drills are designed to simulate real-time emergencies, helping authorities and civilians test coordination, identify flaws, and improve response strategies in the event of an actual crisis.
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