LUCKNOW: A day before the scheduled mock drill mandated by the Union government, civil defence volunteers conducted a rehearsal at the Lucknow police lines on Tuesday to strengthen emergency preparedness.
Meanwhile, UP DGP Prashant Kumar, on Tuesday, said that comprehensive civil defence mock drills would be conducted across all districts on Wednesday in compliance of the instructions received from the Government of India.
The exercise, which involved around 200 civil defence volunteers, was aimed at training volunteers in managing large-scale emergencies and responding effectively to potential missile or air attacks.
According to Chief Warden, Civil Defence Lucknow, Amarnath Mishra, the participants demonstrated coordinated responses to sirens, evacuation procedures, and protective measures designed to minimise panic and chaos during emergencies.
“The drill focused on practical techniques to protect civilians during missile strikes and air attacks, along with educating the public on how to safeguard themselves in such situations,” Mishra added.
The development comes a day after the Union Home Ministry's directives to states to conduct mock drills on May 7 to enhance civil defence preparedness.
The Union Home Ministry asked the states to operationalise air raid warning sirens and train civilians to protect themselves in the event of a hostile attack.
The states have also been directed to update and rehearse evacuation plans, crash blackout measures, and early camouflaging of vital plants and installations.
Interacting with media persons, the UP DGP Prashant Kumar said that the Centre had identified 19 districts-- one placed in Category 1, two in Category 2 and the remaining 16 in Category 3-- for the exercise.
Bulandshahr in western UP has been kept in Category 1; Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Bakshi Ka Talab, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Meerut, Prayagraj, Moradabad, Bareilly, Mathura, Ghaziabad, Jhansi, Saharanpur, Sarsawan, and Chandauli are there in Category 2; Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar, both western UP districts, have been kept in Category 3.
"However, keeping the preparedness in mind and also considering the local sensitivities, the state government has decided to conduct the mock drill across all the state districts," said the DGP.
He explained that the exercise would involve coordinated participation from multiple agencies, including the police administration, fire services, and disaster response agencies, to cope with disasters and other critical situations.
"The mock drill is imperative to ensure better coordination and readiness among all response agencies," said Prashant Kumar.
Meanwhile, DG Civil Defence, Abhay Prasad also confirmed the instructions received from the Centre, explaining preparations were already underway to equip civilians with the knowledge and readiness needed in case of any future conflict.
He said the mock drill would be conducted between 7 pm to 9 pm on Wednesday. At present, the state Civil Defence department has offices in 15 districts but covers 26 districts through its network.
As part of the initiative, an assessment of emergency medical infrastructure, response time, and coordination between various agencies would be assessed in the event of mass casualties and large-scale evacuations.
The drill would also foster greater public awareness and resilience in times of national crisis, said a senior state government official.