By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 7: An air raid and blackout mock drill was conducted in Shillong on Wednesday evening.
The drill, the first in the state after the one in 1971, began with an ‘incoming air raid’ at 6:28 PM. The fluctuating siren was sounded for two minutes to warn citizens of incoming air raids (simulation).
Exactly at 6:30 PM, the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited shut down power for two minutes as part of the drill. At 6.32 PM, a siren with a steady pitch was played for one minute, indicating the air raid was over. This was followed by the restoration of power.
The city plunged into darkness during the mock drill. However, some solar lights were on. The advertisement hoardings of some shops and offices were also glowing. Vehicular and pedestrian movement remained normal.
Earlier, Senior Staff Officer and Additional PRO of the Directorate of Civil Defence & Home Guards PH Shylla said the drill was conducted as per a directive received from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
It was conducted in all 12 districts with special emphasis on East Khasi Hills, West Jaintia Hills and West Garo Hills.
The exercise commenced exactly at 4 PM with the civil defence setup springing into action, right from the village level through the Civil Defence Warden Services and local Civil Defence Volunteers, and at the district level, with the District Magistrate as the Controller of Civil Defence taking charge of civil defence measures, assisted by the Deputy Controllers Civil Defence, Quick Response Team of Civil Defence & Home Guards, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Police, Fire and Emergency Services, District Disaster Management Authority of all districts.
At the state level, the State Disaster Management Authority, the Air Force Station and the 101 Area of the Army also participated in the exercise.
Simulations included search and rescue from collapsed structure to indicate damaged buildings, responded by Civil Defence Volunteers and Wardens and Quick Response Team of Civil Defence and Home Guards. Mock fire incidents were responded by Fire and Emergency Services, and specialised rescue was responded by SDRF.
“The exercise was carried out to test the preparedness of civil defence machinery in the event of a war or warlike situation,” said MK Sangma, Joint Director of Civil Defence who addressed a press conference earlier in the day.
He also stated that this was the first phase of the civil defence exercise and a more elaborate and full-fledged exercise will be conducted in the near future.