In a landmark civil defence exercise, India will on Wednesday launch “Operation Abhyaas”, a coordinated nationwide emergency preparedness drill—the largest of its kind in decades. The exercise comes amid heightened Indo-Pak tensions following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives.
The drill will feature blackouts, air raid sirens, and evacuation simulations across hundreds of districts, with a special focus on border states such as Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, which will lead the operations.
Nationwide Coordination and Key Regions
In tandem, civil aviation authorities have confirmed a separate Indian Air Force (IAF) drill will also begin Wednesday night in western India. Major airports like Delhi and Bengaluru will participate in disaster management activities, though airline operations are expected to continue normally. Passengers have been advised to check flight updates.
The drills will focus primarily on civilian and infrastructure safety during aerial strike scenarios:
- Rajasthan: Districts across the state will conduct coordinated air raid simulations. Kota and Rawatbhata, designated high-sensitivity zones due to the presence of thermal power plants, uranium storage, and nuclear facilities, will see heightened activity. In Barmer and Jaisalmer, over 1,000 civil defence personnel will be deployed, with the BSF maintaining tight coordination and surveillance.
- Jaipur: The city will activate 10 sirens and implement a 10-20 minute blackout to test emergency response systems under low visibility. “Residents should stay calm,” said Jaipur District Collector J.K. Soni.
- Gujarat: Air raid sirens will sound at 4:30 PM across vital installations, followed by a statewide blackout from 7:30 PM to 8:00 PM. “No light should be visible from outside homes or offices,” stated Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi.
- Punjab: After initially being left out due to a 2005 oversight, Tarn Taran has now been included. Civil defence drills will take place in 15 districts, including Amritsar, Ferozepur, and Pathankot, with sirens sounding at 7:00 PM and blackouts starting at 8:00 PM.
- Chandigarh: The Union Territory will conduct a 10-minute blackout drill from 7:30 to 7:40 PM, accompanied by air raid sirens.
- Jammu & Kashmir: Sirens and blackouts will be conducted in civil defence districts such as Srinagar, Anantnag, Kupwara, and Uri. On Tuesday, the J&K Police and SDRF carried out simulations near Dal Lake, including casualty evacuations and coordinated rescues.
Beyond Border States: All-India Participation
Operation Abhyaas extends beyond border states, in accordance with a Union Home Ministry directive:
- West Bengal: Conducting its first state-wide wartime-readiness drill since 1971, the state will cover over 100 locations, including 20 in Kolkata, officials said.
- Haryana: Key towns such as Ambala, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Rohtak, and Panipat will engage in drills involving sirens, crash blackouts, and emergency response coordination.
- Himachal Pradesh: In Shimla, drills will begin at 4 PM, simulating air raids, fires, casualty evacuations, and search-and-rescue operations.
- Uttar Pradesh: The state’s original list of 19 civil defence districts has now been expanded to cover all districts statewide.
