15 lakh people across nation join hands to test and enforce safety measures

NEW DELHI: The civil defence drill on Wednesday - held as per directions of the office of DG, Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards, which comes under the home ministry - received an overwhelming response, with its scope expanding from the earmarked 244 civil defence (CD) districts/towns to nearly 350 districts, and nearly 15 lakh stakeholders including civil administration staff, volunteers, auxiliary forces, NDRF and state/UT police, besides the general public, coming together to test and enforce safety measures like blackouts, air-raid sirens and evacuation amid a simulated warlike setting.A home ministry source said the drill successfully saw the enforcement of blackouts, with people voluntarily putting their lights out or 'blackening' their windows with cloth or paper upon activation of the sirens. "Reports from Bihar said people stopped their cars on NH-31 and switched off headlights to enforce the blackout," an officer said. "There was total blackout in all areas where the drill was undertaken," the officer added, citing videos received from across the country.The original plan was to conduct the civil defence drill in 244 CD districts. However, the coverage was voluntarily expanded by states, with UP, for one, conducting the drill across all its 85 districts. "What was most heartening is the public enthusiasm to join in the drill. In fact, many members of the public have offered to become civil defence volunteers," an officer said and added that state/UT chief secretaries were asked to hire them.There were some gaps that were identified in the civil defence set-up in certain parts; for instance, the air siren could not be sounded in many places. "This may be as it has been long since the 1971 war, when the sirens were last used. Also, the districts and cities have expanded," said an officer, adding that these districts will be mapped and emergency provisions invoked for purchasing the necessary equipment."We have identified the gaps in the civil defence set-up, thanks to Wednesday's drills," said the officer. For instance, a source said, at Delhi airport, which has both civilian and military operations, the coordination could have been better with more participation of senior people. This is crucial as military targets are seen as more prone to being targeted in a hostile aerial action. This will be corrected as part of follow-up action, it was learnt.As regards the civil defence exercise on the western border, particularly as it came hours after Indian forces hit terror targets in PoK and Pakistan, sources said the situation had anyway changed to a real emergency scenario there, particularly with heavy shelling in some border areas.