The civil defence exercise “Operation Shield”, which was scheduled to be held on May 29 (Thursday) in states bordering Pakistan, has been postponed in Gujarat, Punjab and Rajasthan due to administrative reasons.
A statement released by the Rajasthan Home Department and Gujarat’s Information Department said that the dates for the exercise would be announced subsequently.
The Punjab government also wrote to the Centre, proposing June 3 as the date for carrying out a civil defence exercise, citing that their civil defence staff were undergoing a training being conducted by National Disaster Response Force.
Meanwhile, Chandigarh has also postponed the civil defence exercise. The Haryana government has requested the state officials to plan and organise the mock drill at 5 pm on Thursday, ANI reported.
In Punjab, a senior police officer said that the Centre accepted the state government’s request for holding the drill on June 3.
The government had earlier in the day announced carrying out a civil defence exercise in all districts of states and Union territories adjoining the western border — from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat.
ALSO READ | Gujarat, Rajasthan Postpone Civil Defence Exercise ‘Operation Shield’
The civil defence exercise — which was named ‘Operation Shield’ — was organised on preparing states to face air raids from enemy aircraft, drones, missile attacks among others.
In a communication, the Directorate General of Fire Service and Home Guards conveyed that the civil defence exercise Operation Shield will be carried out in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Chandigarh.
The government had conducted the first civil defence exercise across the country on May 7, hours ahead of Operation Sindoor. The civil defence authorities requested the states and UTs to plan and organise the exercise at 1700 hours onwards on Thursday by involving all local administration and stakeholders, sources said.
Responding to the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalagam in which 26 people were killed, Operation Sindoor was carried out by India on May 7 through which the defence forces targeted terror camps at nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
In order to augment the civil defence preparedness against any hostile attack, the second exercise Operation Shield was planned to be carried out in all the districts of states and UTs, adjoining the western border on May 29.
It was announced that there will be activation of centrally controlled and operated air raid sirens, and complete blackout measures adjoining civilian areas among others during the exercise, sources said. According to the plan, during the mock drills, evacuation of the families of one of the military stations will be practised in case of drone attacks.
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