Jalandhar (Gurpreet Singh): A coordinated civil defence drill featuring temporary blackouts will be carried out on Friday evening in parts of Jalandhar and Ludhiana, aimed at evaluating preparedness for emergency situations.
In Jalandhar, the mock exercise will be limited to the premises of Lyallpur Khalsa College for Women. Officials said the drill will begin with a siren indicating a simulated air raid warning, followed by a brief period of complete darkness within the campus. After the exercise concludes, another siren will signal the return to normal conditions.
During the drill, response teams will rehearse key emergency procedures such as evacuating individuals, providing medical aid, handling fire incidents, and maintaining law and order. Authorities have made it clear that the exercise will not affect the rest of the city and is being conducted solely for training purposes.
At the same time, a similar exercise is scheduled in Ludhiana, including the campus of Punjab Agricultural University and adjoining areas. Residents in these zones will hear warning sirens shortly before the scheduled blackout and are expected to cooperate by turning off all lights and avoiding the use of backup power sources.
Power utilities will also simulate outages as part of the drill, while multiple agencies—including disaster response teams, police, and health services—will work together to test coordination and efficiency.
Officials have appealed to the public to remain calm and treat the exercise as a routine preparedness activity, stressing that such drills play a crucial role in strengthening response systems for unforeseen emergencies.
