Blackouts in Amritsar, Hoshiarpur; schools shut in border dists

Time of India

12-05-2025

Bathinda/Amritsar: Precautionary blackouts were enforced in several
Punjab border districts
on Monday night amid reports of drones spotted in Samba, Jammu, near the border, and in Jalandhar on Monday evening, two days after India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire to stop all military actions.Jalandhar deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal said a surveillance drone was brought down near Mand village of Jalandhar at 9.20pm.
No drone activity seen in the district since 10 pm, the DC added.The Amritsar administration re-implemented a blackout at 8.45 pm after sounding air raid sirens, asking the public not to panic. Hoshiarpur deputy commissioner ordered a blackout in Dasuya and Mukerian, urging people to voluntarily switch off their lights in the rest of the areas of the district.Electricity was also switched off in some areas of Jalandhar, officials said."As a precautionary measure, lights have been switched off in some areas around Suranassi as there have been reports of drone sightings. We are verifying them. There is no (total) blackout as of now. There is nothing to worry, as confirmed by armed forces officers. They are on regular vigil as always," said the Jalandhar DC.Meanwhile, district administrations across the border belt—including Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Pathankot, Ferozepur, and Fazilka—announced the closure of all government and private schools on Tuesday. The decision comes in light of mock drills being carried out under the Civil Defence Act of 1968, aimed at bolstering preparedness for any potential emergency.Earlier in the day, the DCs of Ferozepur and Fazilka had announced that schools would reopen on Tuesday, but both later reversed the decision around 7 pm, saying they would remain closed for 48 hours.While physical classes remain suspended, teachers have been advised to conduct online lessons from home. The Gurdaspur district administration, however, confirmed that schools in the area would open on Tuesday.Delhi-Asr night flight returnsEven as seven key airports in northern region among 32 in the country reopened, a Delhi-Amritsar flight returned to the national capital owing to a blackout due to suspected drone activity on Monday evening.Sources said the IndiGo flight that took off at 8.26 pm went back to Delhi at 9.15 pm."No flights went up north on Monday night. Srinagar and Jammu do not have night flights. Amritsar was to get this flight, which has been sent back to Delhi," said sources.Airports now operational include Chandigarh, Amritsar, Shimla, Ludhiana, Jammu, Srinagar, and Leh.The three airports of Himachal Pradesh — Bhuntar in Kullu, Gaggal in Kangra, and Jubbarhatti in Shimla — also reopened on Monday. The notice to airmen (NOTAM) barring Indian and Pakistani aircraft from each other's airspace is not gone. Indian flights to and from the West will continue taking the longer route.