Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 19: A five-day Civil Defence air raid and blackout mock drill scheduled to be held in the border district of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir from April 20 has been cancelled, officials said on Sunday, without assigning any reason for the decision. “Routine mock drill (20-24 Apr) by Civil Defence and SDRF cancelled. No cause for alarm — this was just standard readiness training. Stay safe, stay vigilant!”, the district information centre in Poonch said in a post on X. According to an earlier communication issued by the Office of Deputy Commissioner Poonch, the exercise was planned from April 20 to 24 in coordination with Civil Defence authorities, SDRF, police, health, municipal, and engineering departments to ensure preparedness for emergencies. The directive, based on inputs from the Civil Defence and SDRF Jammu, calls for effective planning, public awareness campaigns, logistical arrangements, and inter-departmental coordination ahead of the exercise. Officials said they have been instructed to ensure all necessary preparations are made in advance and submit action reports to the deputy commissioner’s office for further review. The initiative aims to strengthen disaster response mechanisms and enhance readiness among both agencies and the public in handling emergency scenarios, the officials said. |