Image Source: Agencies

May 28, JAMMU: The Union Territory of Chandigarh, along with Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Punjab, officially announced the postponement of the mock drill.

Due to "administrative issues," the second Civil Defense mock drill, "Operational Shield," which was supposed to take place throughout the four Border States and Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, has been postponed. In light of the ongoing tensions with Pakistan, the exercise was designed to improve emergency preparation by simulating reactions to hostile attacks, including as air raids and drone strikes.

An official communication stated, "It is requested that the appropriate instructions be sent to all the Controllers of Civil Defense and other stakeholders."
It noted that the next dates for the exercise shall be published subsequently.
It should be noted that the purpose of the postponed second Civil Defense drill was to address serious deficiencies in Civil Defense readiness that were discovered during the first one, which took place on May 7 and revealed issues with communication systems, evacuation planning, and coordination.
Late Wednesday night, the Union Territory of Chandigarh and other states, including Haryana, Rajasthan, and Punjab, formally stated that the simulated drills would be postponed. Officials said the decision was made for "administrative reasons," although they did not immediately elaborate.
Operation Shield, which involved a full-scale simulation of warfare situations like air strikes and drone assaults, was originally scheduled to take place between 5 and 9 p.m. in all 22 districts of Haryana. The purpose of the drill was to organize emergency response and medical personnel, test evacuation procedures, and sound air raid sirens.
Rajasthan issued a similar postponement order after planning a thorough mock drill in each of its 41 districts. A new date for the drill will be revealed shortly, the state's Home Department said in a statement. When the Center's directive arrived, preparations for the drills had already started, including siren activation and specific arrangements in border regions like Jaisalmer and Barmer.
Because its civil defense personnel are now training with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Punjab adopted a different strategy and proactively requested a reschedule of the exercise. The deputy commissioners have been notified of the updated date after the Center approved Punjab's plan to hold the drill on June 3.