The civil defense exercise 'Operation Shield' proposed by the central government for Thursday, May 29 has been temporarily postponed due to administrative reasons. Instructions have been given to all civil defense controllers and concerned departments to issue relevant notifications. The government has announced that all relevant officials and stakeholders should be informed that the Operation Shield civil defense exercise has been postponed until further notice. The revised date will be announced later.
As per the Ministry of Home Affairs, mock drills were to be conducted on May 29 in several districts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, and Chandigarh starting from 5 PM. However, these have now been postponed. As a result, mock drills scheduled in all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir have been canceled. The exercise that was supposed to take place in the Jammu region tomorrow will no longer occur. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Chandigarh, and other states have also postponed the mock drills and blackout following the central directive.
Source: aajtak
Confirmation of Mock Drill Postponement
The Gujarat Information Department and Rajasthan Home Department have formally confirmed the postponement of the mock drill. Meanwhile, the Chandigarh administration has clarified that there will be no blackout or mock drill on Thursday. The exercise was intended to simulate air raids, blackouts, emergency exits, and medical assistance to assess the preparedness of citizens and administrative responses in times of disaster.
Civil Defense Wardens' Participation Proposed
The mock drill under 'Operation Shield' proposed participation from civil defense wardens, local administrative staff, and young volunteers from NCC, NSS, NYKS, India's Scouts and Guides. Additionally, it was considered significant for raising citizen awareness on emergency situations, enabling them to assist the civil administration in various tasks.
No Blackout Procedure
A blackout was scheduled to take place in several districts on Thursday from 8:00 PM to 8:15 PM in civilian areas (excluding essential services), with extensive publicity planned for the event, but now this procedure will not take place. There will be no blackout tomorrow.
No Rescue Exercises Following Drone Attacks
During the mock drill, exercises were planned for responding to a military station being targeted by enemy drones, including rescue drills conducted by the station commander with local administration to relocate families to safety, simulating the safe evacuation of 20 people to secure locations, but this has now been postponed. A new date will be announced soon.
