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Indian Express
07-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Over 500 schools take part in mock drills across Delhi: ‘For many children, it felt like a game of hide and seek'
When the siren blared across the corridors of Amity International School in Saket on Wednesday morning, nearly 2,000 students responded instantly, taking cover under desks with bags over their heads — their voices hushed and hearts racing. Amity International School was one of the 500 schools in Delhi where the mock drill was undertaken in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The Ministry of Home Affairs earlier this week directed states and union territories to hold mock drills and ensure readiness to tackle tense situations amid India-Pakistan tensions. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) coordinated the implementation across the city schools on Wednesday. By 7.40 am, the students at Amity gathered for a special assembly where Principal Divya Bhatia briefed them. Around 200 teachers conducted checks at every floor of the four-storey building, clearing out washrooms and staff rooms, following a well-rehearsed routine. 'There is an SOP we follow — detailed, floor-wise instructions were given by the Principal,' said Sumedh, a teacher. Instruction manual handouts were also given to every student in the morning assembly. Despite the seriousness of the drill, playful confusion was seen among younger students. 'For some of them, it felt like a game of hide and seek…but a few others got scared, so they were taken care of by their class teachers,' Sumedh added. After the evacuation, a Class 5 student was teary-eyed, overwhelmed, and unsure where to go. But senior students, especially a hundred-member team of the Students Council, were alert. Vandita Sharma, a Class 11 student and Additional General Secretary of the Student Council, stepped in to comfort him. 'He was just scared and confused,' she later said, adding, 'We've been through drills before, but for them, it's all still new. Helping them feel safe is part of our responsibility, too. The best thing is that the drills have prepared us for the future.' 'In my lifetime… I have not seen such drills for war preparedness,' said Sumedh. The operation was executed with clarity and precision, guided by comprehensive instructions laid out by the Principal, the school authorities said on Wednesday. 'The activity reinforced a culture of alertness, resilience, and coordinated response among all students and staff,' said Principal Bhatia. Another principal of a prominent private school said that mock drills were conducted 'successfully' in the school and training provided to the staff as well for emergency preparedness. The training could help for natural disasters like fire and earthquakes, as well, the principal added.
Mint
07-05-2025
- General
- Mint
Mock Drills In India: Delhi schools, other places conduct emergency drill
Mock drills in India: Mock drill exercises in line with the order of the Ministry of Home Affairs were conducted in several places across India, including schools in Delhi, on May 7. Students and teachers across Delhi took part in a safety drill , aimed at strengthening emergency preparedness that included practising orderly evacuations, taking shelter under desks, and switching off electrical appliances when the siren sounded. Videos of the mock drills in Delhi schools surfaced online. At Amity School in Saket, Principal Divya Bhatia said the exercise began at 8.45 am with a briefing during the morning assembly. "We explained the purpose of the mock drill and the steps students needed to follow. After the briefing, we conducted the drill so they could understand the process in a hands-on manner," she said. The drill started with a siren, prompting students to switch off electrical appliances and take cover under their desks or near walls. Once the siren ended, they placed their school bags over their heads and calmly moved to a designated safe area, Bhatia explained. The Delhi government has named the initiative 'Operation Abhyaas'. The drill is being conducted at 55 locations across the city, with support from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), civil defence volunteers, home guards, and youth groups such as NCC, NSS, and NYKS. In Vishakapatnam, a large-scale mock drill was conducted by the National Cadet Corps (NCC) as part of its disaster preparedness and response training initiative. The drill aimed to equip cadets with real-time response skills in handling emergency scenarios such as natural disasters, fire outbreaks, and evacuation procedures. Watch the video of the Vishakapatnam mock drill here: Preparations have been made for mock drills at six places in Jharkhand on Wednesday, amid India's strike on terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, an official said. The three-hour mock drill exercises will be conducted in five districts -- Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Godda and Sahibganj -- in association with civil defence organisations from 4 pm, he said. The Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday asked several states to conduct mock drills on Wednesday in view of "new and complex threats" that have emerged, amid rising tension with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack. The mock drills began hours after India initiated Operation Sindoor against terror elements in Pakistan, with Indian armed forces attacking terror base camps across nine locations in the neighbouring country.
