NEW DELHI: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in collaboration with the Indian Army and state governments of Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, will conduct a large-scale disaster management exercise, ‘EXERCISE SURAKSHA CHAKRA’, from 29 July to 01 August.
This multi-state, multi-agency exercise is one of the largest preparedness drills ever held in the National Capital Region (NCR) that aims to strengthen coordination and response mechanisms for major disasters like earthquakes and industrial chemical hazards.
A full-scale mock exercise simulating a major earthquake response will be conducted on Friday, taking place simultaneously across all 18 participating districts of the NCR.
Residents are advised not to panic if they witness a higher-than-usual presence of ambulances, fire tenders, police vehicles, and army trucks on the roads. Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Armed Forces, Civil Defence, and other agencies will be deployed at various locations. Sirens or public address systems may be used to signal the start of the exercise. Temporary facilities, including Incident command posts, staging areas, relief camps, and medical aid posts, will also be established at designated sites.
Also, response teams will be conducting search and rescue drills, casualty evacuation, as a part of the preparedness drive. It is to test and improve the region’s ability to respond effectively in a real crisis.