BJP appeals to citizens, party workers to volunteer for May 7 mock drills

By Suchitra Mukherjee
New Delhi [India], May 6 : Ahead of the nationwide mock drill scheduled for May 7 in 244 districts of the country spread across several states, the BJP Parliamentary Party office has directed all BJP MPS to participate in the drill as ordinary citizens and cooperate with the local administration. Each MP will participate in their respective constituency.
State presidents have also been asked to coordinate with senior office-bearers and district presidents to ensure the smooth execution of the drill, sources told ANI.
Taking to X and Facebook, the BJP urged all citizens, party workers (Karyakartas), leaders, and students to come forward and volunteer for the mock drill. The party emphasised that every participant's involvement would make a significant difference in the success of the exercise.
Amid heightened tensions with Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 Indian tourists, the Government of India has announced a nationwide civil defence mock drill on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked states and union territories to conduct the exercise for effective civil defence. The exercise will include blackout simulations, air raid sirens, evacuation drills, and public training sessions to prepare for war-like emergencies.
Meanwhile, the civil defence held a meeting with all its employees on the ways to protect citizens in case of an air attack in the city. Along with this, everyone was also given guidelines on protecting the public.
The civil defence individuals were also made aware of activities to be undertaken by citizens during a sudden attack, and what precautions they should take to ensure minimum damage.
Information on how to manage the crowd during a disaster was also provided.
While the army is preparing on the border for a possible war with Pakistan, the civil defence volunteers have also become active in protecting the citizens in the city from attacks.
Measures to be undertaken, according to sources, include operationalization of Air Raid Warning Sirens and training of civilians, students, etc on the civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a hostile attack.
The sources said measures also include the provision of crash blackout measures, provision for early camouflaging of vital installations and updation of the evacuation plan and its rehearsal.
Tensions have risen between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed. The government has said that perpetrators of the terror attack will face severe punishment.