Mock drills conducted in several Rajasthan cities including capital Jaipur

Jaipur, May 7 (IANS) Acting on the directives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, several cities in Rajasthan, including the state capital Jaipur, conducted large-scale mock drills on Wednesday to test wartime civil defence mechanisms.

Also, air strike simulation exercises were conducted in Jaipur after over 50 years, while a high alert was issued in border districts as well.

These simulated air strike response exercises were carried out in key urban and border areas, including Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner, Dausa, Alwar, Sikar, Sirohi, Kota, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bharatpur, Rawatbhata, and Sri Ganganagar. In fact, air strike drill was held in Jaipur after five decades.

Officials confirmed that for the first time in nearly 50 years, Jaipur witnessed an air strike simulation -- a preparedness effort not seen since the 1971 India-Pakistan War.

The mock drill took place at the BSNL office on MI Road, with a warning siren sounding at the Rajasthan Secretariat to alert staff and citizens. The District Collector received a simulated air strike alert via hotline, triggering immediate action to relocate citizens to designated safe zones.

Government employees at the Secretariat were also trained on emergency evacuation and rescue protocols. A similar mock drill was conducted at 4 p.m. in Kota, which, along with Rawatbhata, has been marked as a high-sensitivity zone by the Central government due to its strategic importance.

Civil defence teams, police personnel, and fire brigade units participated in the exercise.

Officials provided hands-on training on rescue and relief operations, ensuring teams are well-prepared to respond swiftly during emergencies.

Also, heightened security measures are being observed in Barmer and Jaisalmer, both sharing an international border with Pakistan.

Markets in Barmer were temporarily closed as air raid sirens were sounded and announcements were made via loudspeakers, urging public cooperation.

In Jaisalmer, similar sirens were activated to simulate an air strike scenario.

The drills aimed to test community response time and administrative coordination under threat conditions.

Amid the heightened security alert, the administration has imposed a complete ban on drone operations in Sri Ganganagar, Anupgarh and Bikaner.

Officials said that unauthorised drone activity could interfere with emergency response systems and pose a threat to national security.

The ban has been enforced with immediate effect.

These drills are part of a broader strategy to assess India's civil and defense readiness in the event of cross-border conflict.

The state government, police, and civil defence departments remain on high alert, ensuring Rajasthan’s preparedness to handle any national security emergency.

--IANS

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