Patna: A civil defence blackout and air-raid mock drill will be conducted across Patna on May 14 as part of a planned emergency preparedness exercise aimed at testing the city’s disaster response mechanisms.
Preparations for the exercise were reviewed on Saturday during a meeting chaired by district magistrate Thiyagarajan S M at the district collectorate conference hall.
Administration Says Exercise Is Pre-Planned
The district magistrate clarified that the exercise was being conducted under a pre-determined government schedule and did not indicate any real threat or attack situation.
Officials said the primary objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of administrative coordination, rescue operations and emergency response systems during scenarios such as an air raid.
Residents were urged not to pay attention to rumours and to rely only on official communication.
Mock Drill To Cover Multiple Urban Areas
Devendra Pratap Shahi presented departmental guidelines related to the blackout and mock drill during the meeting.
According to officials, the exercise will be conducted not only within the jurisdiction of the Patna Municipal Corporation but also in the municipal council areas of Danapur Nizamat, Khagaul and Phulwari Sharif.
Four major simulation sites have been identified for the drill:
- Patna District Collectorate
- Biscomaun Bhawan
- Bankipore Bus Stand
- IGIMS
Several offices, hospitals and public buildings across the district will also participate.
Sirens And Blackout Planned
Authorities said a table-top exercise based on an air-raid scenario would first be conducted at the collectorate on May 13.
On May 14, civil defence sirens will sound for two minutes as part of the simulated air-raid warning procedure, after which a blackout will be implemented.
The exercise will test the operational readiness of agencies including the Fire Brigade, ambulance services, NCC, National Disaster Response Force, SDRF, municipal bodies, Civil Defence teams, law enforcement personnel and disaster management authorities.
Officials said essential and emergency services would remain unaffected during the exercise.
A dedicated control room will remain operational throughout the mock drill to monitor and coordinate activities, the administration said.
