Maha govt to conduct mock drills at 16 locations tomorrow
Mumbai: Maharashtra will conduct mock drills at 16 locations in the state on Wednesday as per the Ministry of Home Affairs’ order amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
The 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, the government sources said that it 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.
Earlier, mock drills were conducted in the state in 1971.
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?” asked Raut.
“There will be warning sirens, crash blackout measures and camouflaging of vital industrial plants and installations, among others. We have seen this in 1971. This information can be given to the people through different channels. Just as they banged plates and clapped (during corona), now they will spend another day in war exercise,” he claimed.
