NEW DELHI: The national capital on Wednesday successfully conducted mock drills at 55 locations across its 11 revenue districts, as part of the ‘Operation Abhyaas’ exercise aimed at testing the city’s disaster preparedness and response capabilities in a crisis situation.
Under the nationwide mega civil defence mock drill, prompted by the ongoing Indo-Pak tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 people, mock drills simulating multiple hostile scenarios like air raids, multiple fire emergencies, and search and rescue operations, among others, were carried out.
The drills were conducted in key locations including schools, government offices, busy markets, malls, airports and other critical areas. The exercise commenced around 4 pm with loud sirens signalling the start of the mock emergency scenarios.
Emergency response teams, including PCR vans, fire tenders, ambulances and other first responders, were present at the drill locations. Dog squads were also deployed to assist in the exercises. Notably, the fire tenders also sprayed water at the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) areas. Key locations where the drills were held included Khan Market, Lajpat Nagar Central Market, Townhall in Chandni Chowk, Select City Mall in Saket, and Fortis Hospital in Shalimar Bagh.
At the Townhall in Chandni Chowk, one of the city’s busiest markets, a simulated airstrike was set up, with a building collapse scenario that trapped several people. During the exercise, one person was declared dead, two sustained serious injuries and one person suffered a fracture. Emergency teams worked to rescue and treat the injured, with a temporary hospital set up at the site to provide immediate medical care.
A Delhi Civil Defence (DCD) official reported that the drill involved 48 DCD volunteers, along with personnel from the electricity department (12), National Cadet Corps (NCC) (19), traffic police (17), local police (16), six dog squads, and five teams from Delhi Jal Board. After initial treatment at the temporary hospital, the injured were transported to nearby hospitals for further care if necessary.
Speaking on this, Alok Kumar, SDM Kotwali, said, “The exercise was designed to educate the public about disaster preparedness. The mock drills were accompanied by awareness efforts, including educational videos distributed through Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs).
Citizens were also briefed about the drills on-site to ensure that they understood the appropriate actions to take in the event of a real emergency.” Earlier in the day, several schools across Delhi conducted similar drills, with students and staff being briefed beforehand. The drill, prompted by a siren, instructed students to switch off electrical appliances and take cover under their desks.