MUMBAI: A mock drill was conducted at Cross Maidan in south Mumbai on Wednesday afternoon by simulating an air strike situation. The teams of civil defence, fire brigade, and paramedics rushed to save the “injured people” as a siren blared. The mock drill in Mumbai coincided with rain. Officials said that similar mock drills will be repeated across the states in order to improve the response in case of war.
A civil defence mock drill was conducted at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and other railway stations to assess emergency readiness by the central railway (CR). In addition to this, Western Railway (WR) also conducted a mock drill at various railway premises including Bandra colony and Parel Workshop in Mumbai divisions.
The exercises included fire safety protocols, air strike response, and casualty rescue drills. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) carried out a mock drill at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT).
The blackout was observed in Mumbai’s Anushakti Nagar to simulate blackout during aerial threat scenarios. JJ Hospital and Sion Hospital emergency teams are preparing for mock trauma influx as part of the drill.
The state government on Tuesday identified eight vulnerable districts which can be targeted by Pakistan during a war like situation. The eight districts include Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Sindhdurg, Nashik and Pune. Of these, Mumbai, Uran in Raigad district and Tarapur in Palghar district have been classified as highly sensitive locations. Following this, the state home department has asked all eight district collectors to conduct mock drills with the help of the NCC and deputy controllers of Civil Defence Forces at vital installations and establishments at their respective jurisdictions.
Prabhat Kumar, director of Maharashtra Civil Defence Force, said that as per the instructions of the central government, they conducted the mock drills at eight places including Mumbai’s Cross Maidan in the state. “We conducted the mock drills and also a debriefing about it. Based on the feedback we received, we will discuss make improvements. After today, we will continue to do this mock drill, especially the blackout drill for the next four to five days,” Mr. Kumar said.
He also said that in advance the people in Mumbai will be informed about the blackout drills.