Sirens sound at 4 p.m. as Hyderabad stages massive civil defence mock drill after five decades

The Hindu

07-05-2025

At precisely 4 p.m., sirens echoed in parts of Hyderabad, signalling the beginning of Operation Abhyaas, a well-planned civil defence mock drill aimed at preparing the city for large-scale emergencies. Though the public had been notified, the sight of emergency vehicles, uniformed personnel and rescue operations brought the realness of the rehearsal into sharp focus.
In Aswini Colony, West Marredpally, nestled within the Secunderabad Cantonment, the exercise began on cue. Telangana Disaster Response Force units, ambulances, traffic patrols and fire tenders swept into the street. Officials in khaki, orange, and camouflage suits sprang into action, 'rescuing' residents from the five-storey Manbhum Millennium Residency and guiding them across the road to the NCC Grounds — the designated safe shelter.
A temporary emergency medical camp was also set up on one end of the vast ground, with stretchers, beds along with first aid and medicines and 10 ambulances to transfer critical patients. A total of 45 medical attendants were stationed here. 'While emergency cases will be attended here, critical patients will be shifted to Shenoy Multispeciality Hospitals, about 70 metres from the spot,' said one of the personnel there.
About five minutes before the siren went off, the officials made final announcement guiding public to not panic and gesturing the forces to be ready.
Earlier in the day, Secunderabad bustled with its usual activity — women leaving the Kasturba Gandhi Degree and PG College, children darting out of tuition centres, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) workers sweeping the lanes, and customers stepping into a private bank just 20 paces from the rescue site. But just before 4 p.m., the scene transitioned smoothly from routine to rehearsal.
Twelve kilometres away, the Mayflower Apartments in Nacharam — a 10-storey complex of six blocks and 370 flats — hosted a similar drill between 10 a.m. and noon. As emergency teams executed rehearsed protocols, a shopping mart across the road saw customers casually browsing shelves — business as usual, despite the unfolding simulation.
At around 3.45 p.m., public service announcement was made from the middle of the blocks inside the premises advising the residents to not panic and remain calm and safe inside their homes. Three fire tenders, one disaster rescue van and medical staff were on standby.
At the 22-storey BPS twin towers in Kanchanbagh, Champapet, residents were seen peeping out of the occupied flats as the sirens went off.
Earlier, briefing journalists, Hyderabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand, stressed that this was part of a deliberate strategy to build awareness and resilience.
'Operation Abhyaas is about mental and physical preparedness. We held a video conference with all departments — Fire Services, GHMC, Disaster Response teams and Home Guard. The Chief Minister was briefed. Roles were clearly divided. At 4 p.m., we sent out a city-wide alert through the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC). We will use traffic mobile units and industrial sirens to play the war alert for two minutes — something not done since the 1971 war,' he said.
Fake news, the commissioner warned, had already started circulating, with rumours doing rounds in the morning claiming the mock drill was cancelled. 'Social media teams must act fast. The medical wings across the city are expected to be on duty 100%. The NDRF, SDRF must keep their equipment serviced and ready. All communications will be routed through ICCC. Officers have been looped into WhatsApp groups for real-time alerts. Every reportable incident, however minor, must be flagged.'
Hyderabad's military and defence presence, he said, placed it in a unique position among metros like Bengaluru and Chennai — necessitating a more advanced level of preparedness. For any assistance, residents are urged to dial 100 or 112.