Defence mock drill on May 7: Security exercise to take place in 259 locations including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru

The civil defence mock drills will be conducted across the country on May 7 to deal with "new and complex threats". The development comes amid exacerbating bilateral tensions between India and Pakistan after the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 people, including a Kashmiri ponywallah.

The drill will be held across 259 locations in India, including metro cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad. More than 100 of these locations have been identified as highly sensitive. 

Business Today cannot independently verify the report. The story will be updated if there are any changes. 

List of locations where the mock drill will take place on May 7

What will happen in the May 7 defence mock drill? 

As part of this drill, air-raid warning sirens will be heard in these places on Wednesday. It also entails training civilians on civil-defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a "hostile attack" and cleaning bunkers and trenches.

Cities will simulate a blackout, turning off lights to avoid detection by enemy aircraft during an attack. The drills will also entail testing the functionality of the hotline and radio-communication links with the Indian Air Force (IAF).

This will also include measures to hide visibility from aerial surveillance or drone strikes. For this, vital infrastructure such as power plants, communication hubs, and military installations will also be subjected to camouflage drills. 

Control rooms and shadow control rooms will be tested for functionality and communication capabilities. It will also test evacuation plans by simulating the movement of people from high-risk zones to safer locations. 

Public shelters, including bunkers and trenches, will be cleaned and made ready. Civil defence services, including fire services, wardens, rescue teams, and depot managers, will be mobilised to assess operational preparedness. 

Officials have also stressed the need for households to keep medical kits, torches, candles, and cash handy for potential electronic failures.

Blackout exercise in Ferozepur Cantonment

Previously, on Sunday, Punjab's Ferozepur Cantonment along the India-Pakistan border conducted a blackout exercise for 30 minutes in late evening. The exercise took place for 30 minutes from 09:00 pm to 09:30 pm, aimed to test preparedness for implementing blackout procedures during periods of heightened security threats. 

The state electricity board cut off power for 30 minutes as hooters continuously sounded throughout the drill.