Maharashtra govt conducts statewide mock drills at 16 locations today amid escalating India-Pakistan tensions, with civil defence and police on high alert | (Photo Courtesy: ANI/Altered by FPJ)
Mumbai: After a hiatus of 54 years, mock drills will be held on Wednesday in Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra in the background of escalating tension between India and Pakistan. The last when such drills were conducted was in 1971 when India and Pakistan fought war on two front resulting in the birth of Bangladesh. The Kargil war of 1999 was a relatively localised affair which did not majorly impact the rest of the country.
Old-timers like Narayana Murthy recalled having gone through the 1962 Chinese aggression, the 1965 Indo-Pak war and the 1971 war. “I was in school when China attacked us. We were asked to put out lights at night so that enemy pilots are not able to identify the city. Also were asked to stick brown paper on glass windows so that the splinters do not cause injuries during bombardment.”
Another Mumbaikar Krishna Kumar recalled the sirens “which will generate ear-piercing noise any moment of the day or night. We would be scared stiff and huddle under tables.” “During the 1962 war lakhs of women donated their gold ornaments, including mangal sutras to help the government in war efforts, ” M. Zaveri recalled.
State government sources said that the mock drills will be conducted at Mumbai, Uran, Tarapur, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Roha-Nagothane, Manmad, Sinnar, Thal Vaishet, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Aurangabad, Bhusawal, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.
“The Maharashtra government is in high alert mode. The administration has given strict instructions to all the agencies to remain alert. The state government has accelerated the activities at the internal level. All the ministers, including the guardian ministers, have been instructed to stay in touch with the administration,” said the government sources.
During the mock drills, sources said the government will assess the effectiveness of the air raid warning systems, check the hotline and radio communication links with the Indian Air Force, see the functionality of control rooms and shadow rooms, hold training of civilians, including students on civil, defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a hostile attack, implement crash blackout measures and early camouflage for key installations, verify the working and response of Civil Defence Services, including warden services, firefighting, rescue operations and depot oo and assess the preparedness of evacuation plans and their execution. The city has no bunkers where people could hide in the event of air raids.
Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut took a swipe at the BJP-led government at the Centre over its order to conduct mock drills amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 persons and sarcastically asked what kind of guns the government will give to citizens.
“The government has kept the people mentally trapped in all these things. In many countries, we have seen that if a civilian or a military post is attacked, revenge is taken within 24 hours. Now, we will have a war exercise (mock drills). What kind of guns are you going to give us?” Raut asked.
NCC cadets will do Mock drill tomorrow in Mumbai Cross maidan at 3:30 pm along with civil defence team. Similar drills will be held at 11 am at CSTM station again in tandem with civil defence personnel. Similar exercises will be held at other places also during which air raid sirens will be played, lights will be turned off briefly, People will practice taking shelter, and emergency teams will demonstrate how they respond to crisis situations. Evacuation, fire-fighting and safety checks demos will be given. The police has been put on high alert.
