Chandigarh (National Times): In light of rising tensions between India and Pakistan, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) held a high-level emergency preparedness meeting on Monday, where strategies were finalized for conducting nationwide mock drills, with a particular focus on border states like Punjab.
The meeting, held at North Block and chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, saw participation from Chief Secretaries of all states, senior officers of paramilitary forces, and Director General of Fire Services, Civil Defence & Home Guards, IPS Vivek Srivastava. Representatives from all 244 civil defence districts across the country also joined the deliberations.
Mock Drills in These Districts of Punjab:
- Amritsar
- Bhatinda
- Ferozepur
- Gurdaspur
- Hoshiarpur
- Jalandhar
- Ludhiana
- Patiala
- Pathankot
- Adampur
- Barnala
- Bhakra-Nangal (Ropar)
- Halwara
- Kotkapura (Faridkot)
- Batala
- Mohali (SAS Nagar)
- Abohar
The mock drill will also be organized at Chandigarh.
Given Punjab’s sensitive location along the Indo-Pak border, the state has been identified as a high-priority zone for these preparedness exercises. According to officials, mock drills and security rehearsals will be conducted tomorrow in key districts of Punjab to assess and enhance the state’s emergency response capabilities.
Sources indicate that the drills will simulate a variety of wartime and emergency scenarios—including civilian evacuations, infrastructure sabotage, and rapid response coordination, meant to test both government agencies and civilian readiness.
The decision to scale up civil defence activities comes amid escalating geopolitical tensions and intelligence inputs suggesting the need for heightened vigilance, especially in bordering states like Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, and Rajasthan.
Civil defence officials in Punjab have been instructed to mobilize local volunteers, coordinate with district authorities, and ensure that communication networks, medical infrastructure, and evacuation plans are all stress-tested during tomorrow’s drills.
Local administrations have also been advised to issue public notices to avoid panic and ensure cooperation from the civilian population during the exercise.
This is being seen as the most comprehensive civil defence drill initiative conducted in recent years, signaling the Centre’s proactive approach to national security preparedness.
