Guwahati, 07 May (HS): On the instructions of the Union Home Ministry, a comprehensive Civil Defence Mock Drill was conducted on Wednesday at the premises of 10th Assam Police Battalion (APBn), Kahilipada, Guwahati. The exercise was part of the nationwide Civil Defence Preparedness drive, under which similar exercises were conducted simultaneously at 20 different locations in Assam.

The mock drill was organised by the Directorate General of Civil Defence, Assam in collaboration with the District Administration, Kamrup (Metro). Several emergency response agencies and security forces actively participated in the exercise, which began at 4:00 pm. It was aimed at assessing coordination among various agencies, rapid disaster response and preparedness to deal with war-like situations.

The main feature of the drill was the “Air Raid Simulation Exercise”, in which aspects such as response to air strikes, strategy, evacuation of civilians and damage control were tested in realistic situations.

Addressing the participants and observers present at the event, Secretary, Home and Political Department, Government of Assam, Deb Prasad Mishra said, “Such mock drills prepare not only the agencies but also the general public to respond quickly in case of disaster. I am confident that today's exercise will further strengthen the emergency response capability of our state.”

Inspector General of Home Guards and Civil Defence Arvind Kalita appealed to the general public to remain alert and cooperate with the administration during emergencies, especially in incidents like air raids.

Assam Police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire and Emergency Services Department, Health Department and local civil defence volunteers participated in the exercise. The exercise was monitored by senior officials to evaluate the efficiency of the response mechanism and identify shortcomings.

Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Akhilesh Kumar Singh, District Commissioner (Kamrup Metro) Sumit Sattavan, Joint Commissioner of Police, Guwahati, Ankur Jain and Mayor of Guwahati Municipal Corporation Mrigen Sharaniya were also present on the occasion.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash