Mock drills which were postponed earlier for today have now been rescheduled as per the Home ministry notification stating that the civil defence excercise "Operation Shield" will be held on Saturday, 31 May. This is being held in states bordering Pakistan like Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Chandigarh.
Earlier, officials had informed that the mock drill that was to be held on Thursday, 29 May, had been postponed due to "administrative reasons"."It is requested that necessary directions to all the Controllers of Civil Defence and other stakeholders, may be issued accordingly," the two home departments said in a statement, adding that the next dates for the exercise will be issued.
Meanwhile, Punjab government on Wednesday wrote to the Centre proposing June 3 as the date for carrying out a civil defence exercise, citing that their civil defence staff were undergoing a training being conducted by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
The government announced that Operation Shield — a civil defence exercise or a mock drill — would take place in all districts of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Chandigarh — the states and Union territories bordering Pakistan.
As part of the mock drill, preparedness would be tested on how to face air raids from enemy aircraft, drones, missile attacks, among other things.
The first civil defence exercise had been conducted across the country on May 7, hours ahead of Operation Sindoor. The Directorate, which comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs, said during the first civil defence exercise held on May 7, critical gaps in the civil defence preparedness of the vulnerable areas of the country were observed. After the May 7 mock drill, emergency powers had been invoked and funding arrangements through the State Disaster Response Force were also made.
During the second civil defence exercise, the "contingencies envisaged to be practised include general/silent recall of civil defence wardens/volunteers".India had launched Operation Sindoor in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalagam in which 26 people were killed. Through Operation Sindoor, India Armed Forces targeted terror camps at nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7.
Later, some Pakistani military bases were also targeted by India in retaliatory action during four days of skirmishes with the neighbouring country between May 7 and 10. Pakistani forces resorted to heavy shelling along the border and LoC in Jammu and Kashmir and also tried to attack some other places along the International Border in the western sector with drones and missiles.
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