Teams rescue ‘injured’ during mock drill in Panipat, Sonepat

It was business as usual in the Mini-Secretariat on Wednesday. Officials were busy with their work. Suddenly, an emergency siren rang as a major fire broke out in the Mini-Secretariat at 4 pm. In panic, people started running here and there to save themselves. Some of them got stuck in the building, while some others sustained injuries.

The district administration authorities swung into action to begin the rescue operation. The police personnel, home guards, health officials, fire brigade started running towards the mini secretariat to rescue the stranded people.

The members of civil defence, including Red Cross and the Home Guards personnel, started rescuing the injured people. A team of doctors led by Dr Sukhdeep Kaur shifted the injured to the hospital after first-aid. Firefighters controlled the flames.

A war-like situation was created as part of a mock drill at Mini-Secretariat to check the response time of the departments by the district administration under ‘Operation Abhyas’.

The drill started under the supervision of SDM Braham Prakash and DSP (Headquarters) Satish Vats, along with the officials of various departments. As the siren signifying the emergency situation rang, directions were issued for timely mobilisation of resources and machinery.

DSP Vats said the mock drill was conducted to check the mobilisation of the civil defense teams and to rescue the people stuck inside the building during an emergency situation.

“By conducting the mock drill we gave a message to the residents that there is nothing to worry about and everything is under control. The only motive to conduct such a mock drill is to motivate the people about to deal with such a situation,” he said. SDM Braham Prakash said the mock drill is being conducted to check the preparedness of the departments involved in the disaster management and also to check the response time of the rescue teams.

DC Virender Kumar Dahiya said the mock drills were conducted at Mini-Secretariat, IOCL Refinery, National Fertilisers, Panipat Thermal Plant, Municipal Corporation Office, District Jail, District Education Office on Wednesday. DC Dahiya appealed to the people not to panic, it is just a mock drill to check the preparedness.

In Sonepat, the mock drill was organised in the mini secretariat, Kacche Quarter Market, railway station, Ashoka University, in Gohana, Gannaur and Kharkhoda under Deputy Commissioner Manoj Kumar Yadav’s supervision.

During the mock drill, all officials were sent to the safe house and the teams rescued the people stuck in the Mini-Secretariat and in other places. DC Manoj Kumar said police, health, Red Cross, fire department and others participated in the mock drill.