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Indian Express
5 days ago
- Climate
- Indian Express
Mock drills, blackouts to be held in Punjab today; here are the timings
The second statewide civil defence exercise, codenamed Operation Shield, will be held across Punjab on Saturday, with mock drills from 6 pm and blackouts between 8 pm and 10 pm, varying by district. The administration has urged residents to remain calm, clarifying that this is a routine preparedness drill in compliance with the Ministry of Home Affairs' mandate following the Pahalgam terror attack. This is the second such drill in Punjab, following the one held on May 7. Here are the district-wise timings and details: 1. Gurdaspur Mock drill: 6 pm at Gurdaspur bus stand Blackout: 8 pm to 8.30 pm Apart from civil defence teams, home guards, NCC, health department, fire brigade, and police teams will participate. Jaswinder Singh, the Dinanagar sub-divisional magistrate, is the nodal officer. Villagers have been advised to observe a voluntary blackout. 2. Ferozepur Sirens: 6:00 – 6:30 PM in city and cantonment areas Blackout: 9 pm to 9.30 pm Residents advised to turn off lights, stay indoors, and remain calm. 3. Amritsar Blackout: 8 pm to 8.30 pm Major Amit Sareen, additional deputy commissioner (urban development), has advised residents to stay in ground-floor safe rooms. Fans on inverters allowed; rooftop movement discouraged. 4. Tarn Taran Mock drill: 6 pm Blackout: 8.30 pm to 9 pm 5. Barnala Mock drill: 6 pm at Government Senior Secondary School (Sandhu Patti), Trident Factory, and Air Force Station (Bhadalwad) Blackout: 8.30 pm to 9 pm 6. Sangrur Mock drill: 6 pm Blackout: 8 pm to 9 pm 7. Pathankot Blackout: 8 pm to 10 pm (Exact timing yet to be confirmed) 8. Fazilka Mock drill: 6 pm Blackout: Timing yet to be finalised 9. Jalandhar Mock drill: 6 pm Blackout: 9.30 pm to 10 pm 10. Patiala Mock drill: 5 pm to 8 pm at Raja Bhalindra Singh Sports Stadium (Polo Ground) Blackout: 8 pm to 8.10 pm at Lal Bagh Colony Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Isha Singhal emphasised the importance of preparedness. 11. Ludhiana Blackout: 8 pm to 8.15 pm Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd will cut power supply to 18 villages and Rajguru Nagar just before the drill and restore it after 15 minutes. Areas affected: Bhanohar, Hasanpur, Baddowal, Rurka, Jamgpur, Khadoor, Haveli, Adda City Dakha, Ajitsar, Issewal, Gahour, Detwal, Kailpur, Baraich, Madiani, MorKarima, Boothgarh, and Baddowal Cantonment area. 12. Bathinda Mock drill: 6 pm in Army area and Ganpati Colony Blackout: 8.30 pm to 8.40 pm Deputy Commissioner Shaukat Ahmad Parray said sirens will be sounded, and compliance is mandatory. 13. Malerkotla Mock drill: 1 pm at DC office Blackout: Not specified 14. Muktsar Mock drill: 6 pm at DC office Blackout: Not specified 15. Fatehgarh Sahib Mock drill: 6 pm at DC office Blackout: Not specified 16. Faridkot Mock drill: 6 pm at Kotkapura (Venue TBD) Blackout: Not specified 17. Moga Mock drill and blackout: 8 pm near Nestlé plant Additional Deputy Commissioner Charumita emphasised safety preparedness. 18. Mansa Not a part of civil defence districts. No mock drills or blackouts planned at the time of filing this report. 19. Mohali Mock drill: 6 pm at BPCL Lalru (Derabassi) Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal said an air raid siren will precede a rescue simulation. Traffic lights and vehicle headlights will be turned off in the area. 20. Rupnagar Mock drill: 5 pm at NFL Nangal Blackout: 8 pm to 8.15 pm Deputy Commissioner Varjeet Walia urged residents not to panic. 21. Hoshiarpur Mock drill: 6 pm Blackout: 8 pm to 8.15 pm Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain has issued detailed instructions for total darkness, including external lights, inverters, CCTV lights, and signage. Essential lighting must be covered if it cannot be turned off. 22. Nawanshahr Mock drill: 6 pm Blackout: 8 pm to 8.15 pm 23. Kapurthala Blackout: 9.30 pm to 10 pm. Only in Kapurthala and Phagwara
The Star
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
India to conduct mock drills in states bordering Pakistan on May 29
NEW DELHI: India will conduct large-scale mock drills across its northern and western border states on Thursday (May 29), including Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and Jammu and Kashmir, under the Centre's emergency preparedness initiative — Operation Shield. India will conduct large-scale mock drills across its northern and western border states on Thursday, including Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, and Jammu and Kashmir, under the Centre's emergency preparedness initiative — Operation Shield. In Punjab, however, the drill will be held separately on June 3, according to an official statement. These coordinated drills aim to test the readiness of the administration and civil population in the event of emergencies such as air strikes or bomb attacks. Designed as full-scale simulations, the drills will assess the functionality of control rooms, air raid warning systems, and the efficiency of civil defence services, including warden duties, firefighting, rescue operations, depot management, and evacuation planning. Sirens will be sounded as part of the drill procedures, and emergency preparedness systems will be examined under close monitoring. The Civil Defence Department in Rajasthan has already begun issuing instructions to all districts in the state, with a special focus on those bordering Pakistan. Jodhpur District Collector Gaurav Agarwal confirmed that a mock drill will take place in Jodhpur on Thursday, although the precise timing is yet to be announced. In Gujarat, the mock drills will be held in every district. The government has announced that registrations will be facilitated on the official portal for those wishing to become civil defence volunteers. The drills will simulate air attack scenarios and will be conducted at two to three locations in each district. A blackout will be enforced in the evening as part of the drill, and residents have been urged to actively participate. Haryana will observe a complete blackout at vital points and strategic locations, excluding emergency and essential services. The blackout is scheduled to begin at 8pm and will last till 8.15pm. These developments follow the Ministry of Home Affairs' earlier nationwide drill, Operation Abhyas, held on May 7 — the same day India launched Operation Sindoor, a military offensive in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Operation Sindoor destroyed nine high-value terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, eliminating more than 100 terrorists. Authorities have reiterated that mock drills play a vital role in strengthening the nation's emergency response framework. These simulations help evaluate coordination between various arms of administration and civil defence units during crisis situations. A blackout, an integral part of such exercises, involves switching off all visible lights in a specific area for a designated time. This wartime tactic is used to make it harder for enemy aircraft to detect and target critical infrastructure during air raids, thereby improving overall defence preparedness under the cloak of darkness. - The Statesman/ANN
India.com
28-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Mock Drills In 4 Border States Amid Heightened Tensions With Pakistan: What You Need To Know
In the background of rising tensions between Pakistan and India, rehearsals will be carried out on Thursday night in four border states that are pivotal — Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir. The exercise is meant to bolster preparedness against possible cross-border threats and will have the participation of both civil and security agencies, officials said. The drill, initiated by the central government, will reproduce emergency response procedures such as air raid alerts, evacuation measures, and control rooms and civil defence services testing. The aim is to assess preparedness and coordination among departments involved in disaster and conflict response. Pakistan-bordering districts' drills were confirmed by Tina Dabi, District Collector of Barmer (Rajasthan), and with the importance of public cooperation and vigilance noted during the drill. The drive comes in the wake of Ministry of Home Affairs' Operation Abhyas, a national-level mock drill held earlier this month, just ahead of India's Operation Sindoor — a large-scale security operation following recent cross-border tensions. In the previous mock drill, air raid warning sirens were sounded in several cities and civilians — even school children — were informed of emergency procedures. It was the first full-scale civil defence exercise since the 1971 Indo-Pak war, covering 250 sites in 33 states and union territories. Following the recent four-day war, 32 airports in northern India were shut down temporarily, and schools in some of the border districts of Rajasthan and Punjab were shut as a precautionary action. The public in the affected areas has been asked to stay calm but alert on Thursday during the drills and to strictly adhere to the directions of the local authorities.
India Today
27-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
88 illegal Bangladeshi nationals detained in 10-day special drive in Delhi
Eighty-eight Bangladeshi nationals were traced and detained during a 10-day-long special verification drive in Delhi's South West district. The operation, carried out across vulnerable localities such as Sarojini Nagar, Kishangarh, Safdarjung Enclave, Vasant Kunj (North and South), Kapashera, Palam Village, Delhi Cantonment, and Sagarpur, involved extensive door-to-door was part of the Ministry of Home Affairs' ongoing campaign to identify and deport foreign nationals residing unlawfully in on specific intelligence and input from local informers, police teams launched coordinated efforts to identify individuals lacking valid documentation. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Surendra Choudhary, all 88 individuals failed to produce legal documents permitting their stay in India. Many were found in possession of Bangladeshi identity documents, which were subsequently recovered and verified during the process.'The detained individuals admitted to entering India through unauthorised routes,' said DCP Choudhary was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.'Some crossed riverine borders, while others exploited gaps in border fencing to infiltrate the country. Most had been residing in the capital for several years, working as daily wage laborers or in domestic roles," the official a separate operation, the police also detained a Bangladeshi family of four — Mohd Asad Ali (44), his wife Nasima Begum (40), and their two children — from the Delhi Cantonment area. The family, who had been residing illegally in India for over a decade, confessed to being natives of Farooq Bazar Ajwatari, Phulbari Kurigram in were able to present valid Indian citizenship documents. Their deportation process has been initiated with the assistance of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), New the latest operation, the total number of Bangladeshi nationals apprehended in the South West District since December 26, 2024, has risen to Delhi Police reiterated their commitment to maintaining internal security and upholding immigration laws, emphasising that the verification and deportation efforts will continue under the broader mandate of the Home Ministry's campaign against illegal PTI inputsMust Watch
India.com
10-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
STQC Certification: Fortifying Indias Surveillance Infrastructure Amid Geopolitical Tensions
NEW DELHI: As India strides towards digital governance and smarter public safety frameworks, the role of Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) has become increasingly vital in the surveillance industry. More than a hallmark of quality, STQC certification is a stringent, multi-layered process designed to test the security and integrity of surveillance products. Administered by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), STQC certification focuses on two critical dimensions: security testing and supply chain verification. Security testing assesses a system's resilience to cyber threats and unauthorized access, while supply chain verification ensures compliance with the Ministry of Home Affairs' Public Procurement Order (PPO) guidelines for essential security equipment. Together, these evaluations form a bulwark against vulnerabilities in systems that protect critical infrastructure, transportation hubs, and public spaces. "The surveillance sector is no longer just about watching: it's about securing data, networks, and national interests," said Aditya Khemka, Managing Director of CP PLUS. The emphasis on STQC certification reflects the government's push to create a self-reliant, secure digital infrastructure under initiatives like Digital India and Atmanirbhar Bharat. Khemka also echoed the urgency of compliance. "Compliance is no longer optional. As India pushes toward digitally integrated governance and smarter public safety, systems that don't meet standards simply don't make the cut," he said. "Choosing STQC-certified surveillance isn't just a strategic move; it's a responsible one." With rising cyberattacks and geopolitical tensions, stakeholders across public and private sectors are viewing STQC certification not just as a quality check, but as a national imperative. As India builds smarter cities and more connected ecosystems, STQC stands as a critical gatekeeper of trust and security.
