New Delhi, May 6 (PTI) The stage is set for a nationwide mock drill on Wednesday with all states and Union territories preparing to operationalise air-raid sirens and train people on evacuation protocols and cleaning of bunkers and trenches among other steps in the event of a "hostile attack".

The emergency preparedness, the first perhaps since 1971, will be conducted by most states from 4 pm.

Sources said the number of volunteers associated with this drill would be around 6 lakh but the final number could be more.

The drill follows the Union Home ministry's communication on Monday to states and Union territories to conduct the drills due to the "new and complex threats" that have emerged amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.

The authorities in all states will involve students of educational institutions, employees of government and private organisations, hospital staff, railway and metro officials, besides uniformed personnel of the police, paramilitary and defence forces, while conducting the mock drills, the sources said.

Most vulnerable places include metro cities like Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata and cities that have vital installations like nuclear facilities or are along the border, they said.

"The civil defence authorities are going to check the capabilities of all these zones and wherever something is lacking or not working, these will be rectified," a source said.

This exercise of identifying site spots will continue for next three days.

During the day, a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan was held here to discuss how to conduct the mock exercise with active public participation of people. Top civil and police officials of the country participated in the meeting, official sources said.

Preparations are almost complete for conducting the mega exercise in the states and Union territories, officials said.

The Delhi government issued a list of dos' and don'ts for the exercise 'Operation Abhyaas' at 55 locations across the national capital.

People have been advised to familiarise with the air raid siren sounds (long wails for alerts, short bursts for all-clear), identifying the nearest shelter locations such as basements, underground car parks or designated safe zones, during the drill and keep ready items like toch, emergency kit, water bottles among others.

People will also be required to immediately stop outdoor activities and proceed to the nearest shelter, avoid using phone to keep communication line free for emergencies after sounding of the sirens without ignoring it.

In Kashmir, the drill will take place at 4 pm, according to an advisory issued by the Directorate of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Civil Defence.

Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner Nishan Kumar Yadav said a blackout rehearsal will be conducted from 7.30 pm to 7.40 pm on Wednesday.

A siren will be sounded at 7.30 pm and it will continue for 10 minutes, he said.

In Jharkhand, the drills will be conducted from 4 pm for activities like warning of danger through siren, blackout, keeping major infrastructure safe and safe evacuation of injured in case of an accident.

Mock drills will be conducted in Bengaluru, Karwar, and Raichur on May 7, given the "new and complex threats" that have emerged amid rising tensions with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Karnataka Director General of Police Prashant Kumar Thakur said the drills will continue for a week and are aimed at identifying and addressing gaps in preparedness and resources.

Mock drills will be held at three locations in the state - Bengaluru city, Karwar in Uttara Kannada district and Raichur.

Uttar Pradesh Police chief Prashant Kumar said even though 19 districts have been identified by the central government for the mock drills, the state government has decided to carry out it in all districts of the state.

"We have received directions from the government of India for civil defence mock drills scheduled to be held on May 7. As many as 19 districts have been identified, out of which one district is in the A category, two are in the C category, and the rest of the districts are in the D category," he said.

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the mock drills will be carried out at 20 places in the state, including Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Bathinda, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Patiala, Pathankot, Barnala and Mohali.

The BJP has appealed to the people across the country to join the mock drill.

While the BJP posted its appeal on X, party sources said its different units across the country have been asked to actively participate in the local administration's drive. Party MPs and MLAs are expected to be a part of the nationwide exercise.

Home ministry officials said nearly 300 civil defence districts with sensitive installations like nuclear plants, military bases, refineries, and hydroelectric dams will be covered by the mock drills.

Sources said the civil defence districts are different from the normal administrative district, as a geographical area having a cantonment or a refinery or a nuclear plant may be designated as a 'civil defence district' depending on the requirement and exigency.

"Such districts are designated by the respective state authorities, and we believe, the mock drills will be carried out in nearly 300 such civil defence districts across the country," a source said.

According to a home ministry communication, the mock drills also include the operationalisation of hotline and radio-communication links with the Indian Air Force (IAF), testing the functionality of control rooms and shadow control rooms.

"In the current geo-political scenario, new and complex threats/challenges have emerged, hence, it would be prudent that optimum civil defence preparedness in the states/UTs is maintained at all times," the letter from the Directorate General Fire Service, Civil Defence and Home Guards to the states and Union territories said.

The conduct of the exercise is planned up to the village level, and this exercise aims to assess and enhance the readiness of civil defence mechanisms across all states and Union territories.

This is not for the first time such mobilisation of civil defence is being done. During COVID too, the entire mechanism was used to support the government, sources said.

After Parliament attack and even during Kargil, civil defence force was mobilised to help state machineries, they added. PTI TEAM ACB ZMN