By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 20: The Directorate of Civil Defence & Home Guards Meghalaya will conduct a statewide civil defence mock exercise titled “ARMEX-I 2026” on April 24, following directives from the Directorate General of Fire Services Civil Defence and Home Guards under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The exercise, focusing on air raid and blackout preparedness, will be held across all districts of the state with participation from multiple agencies including the armed forces, police, SDRF, Home Guards, Civil Defence volunteers, Fire & Emergency Services, Health and Power Departments, disaster management authorities, and community bodies.
The mock drill will be conducted in two stages.
Stage I will take place from 3 PM to 4 PM and will include simulations of search and rescue operations, fire response, evacuation, and medical response. A Civil Defence siren will be sounded at 3 PM to signal the start of the exercise, followed by another siren at 4 PM indicating the “All Clear” and conclusion of the first phase.
Stage II will be held from 6:59 PM to 7:02 PM, simulating an air raid and blackout scenario. A siren at 7 PM will signal the start of the blackout, during which the public is requested to switch off all lights, inverters, and sources of illumination. The blackout will last for two minutes and conclude at 7:02 PM with the “All Clear” siren.
Authorities have urged citizens, local dorbar shnong, village elders, and even futsal ground operators to actively participate to ensure the success of the exercise.
