HYDERABAD: State Revenue Disaster Management secretary Dasari Harichandana on Thursday said that mock drills play a crucial role in improving coordination among various departments in effectively tackling floods, industrial accidents and forest fires.
She was speaking during a videoconference held at the Integrated Command and Control Centre with officials of various departments and districts administrations on the Tabletop Exercise scheduled for May 15, which will be followed by state-level mock exercises on May 18.
Harichandana said the mock drills conducted in 2025 proved highly useful in ensuring quicker response and coordinated services from various departments during disaster situations. She said such exercises help identify gaps at the field level and provide an opportunity for departments to improve planning and preparedness in a systematic manner.
Director General of Telangana Fire Services Vikram Singh Mann said nearly 60 departments and central agencies would participate in the mock exercises on floods, industrial accidents and forest fires on May 18. He informed that flood-related mock drills for the year 2026 would be conducted in 13 districts, industrial accident drills in five districts and forest fire mock drills in four districts.
National Disaster Management Authority lead consultant Major General Sudhir Behl (retd), who joined the meeting virtually from Delhi, gave a detailed presentation on the roles and responsibilities of Union and state government agencies during floods, industrial accidents and forest fire situations.
