Mock drill held in Panipat, Sonepat dists

Following the directions of the Union Home Ministry, mock drills were conducted under ‘Operation Shield’ at three places in Panipat and at three places in Sonepat district.

In Sonepat, the mock drill was organised in 220 KV power substation at Jaji village, City gate-cum-mother station at HPCL at Nahra village and Break Point India company at Rewli village.

Dr Manoj Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner and Chairman, District Disaster Management Authority, said the mock drill was organised to prioritise citizen safety during a disaster. The exercise aimed at testing and strengthening the effectiveness of the civil society system and emergency response.

Yadav personally visited the sites to inspect every activity and said such activities and exercises helped in learning how to safely rescue people stuck in various critical situations. In Panipat, the mock drill was organised at National Fertilizer Limited (NFL), Panipat Refinery and Petro-chemical Complex (PRPC) and Panipat Thermal Power Station (PTPS).

At IOCL refinery, an air-attack scene was created after which a building collapsed and a major fire broke out in adjoining areas. As the siren was sounded, those in the emergency services immediately reported to the spot. To control the fire, foam tenders were used and 20 persons who were stuck in the building were rescued.

Similar situations have been created at the NFL and PTPS and the response time of the teams and the preparedness of the people and the teams were examined.