Blackout mock drill: It is proposed to perform a blackout mock drill in some of the areas in Punjab on Friday night, April 24, as part of the efforts to enhance emergency preparedness and civil defence systems. The exercise that will be conducted under the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs will also be conducted in some sections of Jammu and Kashmir.
The drill will last between 8:00 pm and 8:15 pm according to the authorities and is supposed to be conducted to test the preparedness of the authorities and the citizens in the event of an emergency, e.g. an air raid. The exercise will commence with the sounding of sirens having a high-low pitch pattern of about 2 minutes, and this will appear like an air raid warning.
As part of the exercise, people living in specific zones have been encouraged to turn off all unnecessary lights during the exercise to act as a simulation of a blackout scenario. The government explained that vital services such as hospitals, emergency services, and critical infrastructure will not be affected.
The simulated blackout will be imposed in selected areas that will be determined by the local administrations and the deputy commissioners will be the civil defence controllers in charge of the exercising. Authorities stressed that it is just a precautionary measure and the drill is set to improve coordination among the agencies and public awareness to respond to the crisis situations.
The citizens have been encouraged to stay calm, cooperate with the authorities, and obey during the drill. The program is indicative of the continuous endeavors to provide readiness in the event of possible security threats.