Civil defence mock drills were conducted at various places across Odisha on Wednesday to review the state’s emergency response preparedness amid escalating tensions with Pakistan.
In Ganjam, mock drills were conducted in three coastal areas of the district at 4 pm. Sirens were sounded at Gopalpur-on-sea, Orissa Sands Complex (OSCOM) of the Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL) in Chhatrapur and Gopalpur Port.
Police, fire services personnel, NCC, scouts and volunteers participated in the drills responding to war scenarios, bomb blasts and fire incidents. The public were made aware about the precautionary measures needed to be adopted in the event of an attack. The entire Gopalpur beach was vacated during the exercise.
In Angul, the drills were held at Talcher with the participation of around 200 people. After the siren was sounded, people were asked to take shelter in safe houses. Demonstrations on handling the injured and dead persons were also held. Police, fire services personnel, Talcher municipality staff and members of the Red Cross participated in the exercises.
Similar war-preparedness drills were conducted in different areas of Koraput. Over 150 police personnel and six executive magistrates monitored the drills. As soon as the siren went off, volunteers and civil defence personnel asked the public to remain indoors. The roads from Koraput to Jeypore, Borigumma, Rayagada and Sunabeda were blocked by police during the drills.
In Kendrapara, the exercise was conducted at 16 places in the district. Officials of the district administration and volunteers joined the mock drills responding to war scenarios, bomb blasts and fire incidents. During the mock drill, many fishing vessels and trawlers were checked by the authorities of the Fishery department.
In Rourkela, civil defence volunteers, ODRAF, fire services personnel, police and authorities of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) participated in the drill which was held at Uditnagar mini-stadium. The exercise was marked by display of skills for rescue, evacuation and fire fighting along with awareness on necessary protection to be taken by civilians.
The civil defence personnel of Balasore conducted mock drills at 10 places in presence of local MP Pratap Sarangi, Balasore Sadar MLA Manas Dutta, collector Suryawanshi Mayur Vikas and SP Raj Prasad. The drills were held at Balasore town, Cinema chowk, Police Line, Vivekananda Marg, Motiganj Bazaar, Phandi chowk, Town police station, Bhaskar Ganj, bus stand and ITI chowk.
Similarly, mock drills were held at City Center Mall, Laxmi Talkies square, Modipada square, Cheruapada, and Khetrajpur railway station in Sambalpur. Volunteers from various organisations, including NGOs, NSS, and NCC played a vital role in managing the public and offering assistance during the mock exercise.
In Jagatsinghpur district, the drill was held at Sandhakuda slum and Nehru Bungalow in the port town of Paradip. Jagatsinghpur collector J Sonal and SP Bhabani Sankara Udagata monitored the drills. Sonal said the exercise was conducted successfully and the district administration is fully prepared to handle any crisis situation.