30-Minute Blackout Drill Held At Punjab's Ferozepur Cantt Amid Rising India-Pak Tensions
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As part of the drill, total darkness was maintained by switching off all visible lights for half-an-hour.
Security agencies on Sunday carried out a 30-minute blackout drill at Ferozepur Cantonment area in Punjab in view of the 'prevailing war threats", amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, officials said.
The blackout drill was carried at the border town out from 9 pm to 9:30 pm. As part of the drill, total darkness was maintained by switching off all visible lights for half-an-hour. Authorities also directed the residents that no inverter or generator lights should be visible outside their homes during this period.
All lights were turned off in the area after a siren went off at 9 pm, news agency PTI reported.
#WATCH | Ferozepur, Punjab: As per the guidelines of the President, Cantonment Board/Station Commander, Ferozepur, rehearsal for blackout was conducted in the entire Cantonment area today, from 9:00 PM to 9:30 PM. pic.twitter.com/6rtxErFKMQ — ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2025
To ensure the blackout exercise can be carried out successfully, the Ferozepur Cantonment Board had asked the Deputy Commissioner and the station headquarters for 'support and cooperation".
'You are requested to ensure adequate security arrangements during this period, given the total blackout. This rehearsal aims to ensure preparedness and effectiveness in implementing blackout procedures during prevailing war threats. Your support and cooperation are crucial in making this exercise successful," the letter said.
The board had also asked the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) to cut electricity at the exercise's scheduled time.
'Electricity supply in the cantonment area will be shut from 9 pm to 9:30 pm. There is no need to panic. The administration is fully alert and ready to respond if required," she said.
The Border Security Force (BSF) has intensified patrolling along the international border while Punjab Police has set up checkpoints at all strategic locations as a precautionary measure.
In one of the biggest attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, Lashkar-linked terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists in Pahalgam on Tuesday, April 22, killing at least 26 people, including foreign tourists, and injuring many others. The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar offshoot, claimed responsibility for the attack, although it later backtracked after massive global outrage.
(With inputs from agencies)
First Published:
May 05, 2025, 08:25 IST
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