Patna: Darkness descended across six districts of Bihar on Wednesday evening as sirens echoed through the streets and electricity supply was suspended for 15 minutes as part of a large-scale civil defence mock drill.
The exercise was conducted in:
- Patna
- Purnia
- Begusarai
- Katihar
- Kishanganj
- Araria
At 7pm, sirens were sounded and power supply was cut off simultaneously across the selected districts. Electricity was restored at 7.15pm.
During the blackout period, residents switched off lights in homes, shops and offices, while traffic movement slowed as several motorists stopped their vehicles on the roads.
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Government Says Drill Was Precautionary Exercise
According to the Bihar government, the exercise was conducted in accordance with directives issued by the Government of India to assess:
- civil defence preparedness
- disaster management systems
- emergency response coordination
Officials clarified that the drill did not indicate any actual threat and appealed to the public not to panic.
Authorities said the objective was to evaluate coordination among emergency services and administrative agencies during simulated crisis situations.
Rescue Simulation Conducted In Patna
The mock drill was carried out in two phases.
Earlier in the afternoon, the first phase began around 3pm at:
- the Patna District Magistrate’s office
- Biscomaun Bhawan
The exercise lasted approximately 40 to 45 minutes and focused on emergency rescue and security response mechanisms.
During the simulation, the Additional District Magistrate for Disaster Management issued a message over walkie-talkie communication systems stating:
“An airstrike has occurred at the Patna DM Office and Biscomaun Bhawan. Send assistance immediately.”
NDRF, SDRF And Fire Teams Deployed
Within minutes of the announcement:
- teams from the National Disaster Response Force
- personnel from the State Disaster Response Force
- ambulances
- fire brigade units
arrived at the scene.
Emergency responders carried out rescue operations for people trapped on upper floors using extended cranes and evacuation equipment.
Firefighters simultaneously conducted operations to extinguish simulated fires at both locations.
Hospital Preparedness Also Assessed
The injured in the simulation were transported to Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, where authorities assessed:
- emergency medical response systems
- hospital preparedness
- patient handling arrangements
Officials said the exercise was aimed at strengthening preparedness for disaster and emergency scenarios through coordinated inter-agency response mechanisms.
