The mock exercise on air raid precaution measures will be conducted from 4 pm on Wednesday. The air raid siren will be sounded at 6:30 pm, and there will be a blackout (power shutdown) for two minutes. The general public is requested not to panic as it will be a part of a mock exercise: Directorate of Civil Defence and Home Guards
SHILLONG, May 6: People in Meghalaya will witness a brief but significant simulation of wartime emergency protocols across the country on Wednesday.
The mock drill on air raid precautions, mandated by the Centre, includes a two-minute blackout at 6:30 pm and is aimed at testing the preparedness of civil defence systems in the event of a hostile attack.
“The mock exercise on air raid precaution measures will be conducted tomorrow from 4 pm onwards. The air raid siren will be sounded at 6:30 pm, and there will be a blackout exercise (power shutdown) for two minutes immediately after the siren is sounded. The general public is requested not to panic as it will be a part of a mock exercise,” the Directorate of Civil Defence and Home Guards said.
The Joint Director of Civil Defence, MK Sangma, explained the limited scope of the exercise. “It is not a complete blackout. We are conducting this exercise just to get a feel of a war-like situation so that people switch off their lights when they hear the siren during an air raid,” he told The Shillong Times.
He admitted that achieving a complete blackout involving every household would not be feasible in a short time. “That is why we have requested the MeECL to shut down the power supply for two minutes,” he said.
While the lights will be cut off momentarily, traffic and public movement will not be disrupted. “This is being done to check the civil defence machinery and stakeholders. We have not had such a situation in a long time. We got the sudden directions,” Sangma said.
He assured that Meghalaya’s civil defence framework is in place and the mock drill will serve to test its functionality.
The directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs to all states and Union Territories outlines a wide-ranging objective for the drill. It seeks to evaluate air raid warning systems, test communication with the Indian Air Force, examine the effectiveness of control rooms, and train civilians and students in basic self-protection during emergencies.
The exercise will also include the assessment of crash blackout measures, early camouflaging of strategic installations, and a review of the readiness of services such as wardens, firefighting units, rescue teams, and depot managers. Evacuation plans will be scrutinised for efficiency and execution.
“It is requested to kindly direct the Director, Civil Defence of your state/UTs, to organise the Civil Defence Exercise on 07.05.2025, by involving all the stakeholders, in all the categorised Civil Defence districts of your state/UTs. An action taken report in this regard may also kindly be shared with this Directorate at the earliest,” stated the ministry’s letter.