Blackouts, Bunkers, Hotlines: What India’s May 7 Civil Defence Drill Involves

As directed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, states and union territories will conduct mock drills on May 7 to handle "new and complex threats." According to the government communication, the measures to be taken during the mock drills include the operationalisation of air-raid warning sirens, training civilians on civil-defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a "hostile attack" and cleaning bunkers and trenches.

Even as the communication did not directly mention Pakistan, the timing of such direction amid growing tension with the neighbouring country after the Pahalgam terror attack last month, followed by Islamabad's statements and missile testing, signals a probable escalation. The last such drill was conducted in the run-up to the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, in which the latter was defeated and Bangladesh was created.

Mock Drill Details

As per the ministry notification, the drill will be held across the country's 244 Civil Defence districts. "The conduct of the exercise is planned up to the village level. This exercise aims to assess and enhance the readiness of Civil Defence mechanisms across all States and Union Territories," it said.

The release also specifically mentioned that civilians must be trained to respond to a "hostile attack."

As per the scheduled mock drills, states will measure the authorities' response related to crash-blackout measures, early camouflaging of vital plants and installations. This means steps to cover or shield key premises such as airfields, refineries and rail yards from enemy fire.

They will also rehearse evacuation plans. The evacuation drills will be rehearsals for moving civilians from vulnerable areas to safe zones. Civilians will also be trained in first-aid, firefighting and shelter techniques.

The upcoming mock drills will also assess readiness related to activating hotlines and radio communication channels with the Indian Air Force (IAF), along with verifying the functionality of emergency control rooms.