Civil defence preparedness exercise at Raichur Thermal Power Station

Public servants from several government departments participating in the civil defence preparedness exercise on the Raichur Thermal Power Station premises on Friday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A civil defence preparedness exercise simulating wartime emergency and disaster scenario was conducted on Friday evening at the helipad located within the premises of the Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS).

The mock drill was aimed at assessing and strengthening coordination between civil defence personnel and armed forces during crisis situations.

The exercise commenced at 4 p.m. with simulated bomb blasts at three different locations. As part of the mock drill, the general public were seen alerting the police control room immediately after the explosions.

Emergency response teams swiftly reached the scene where they conducted rescue operations, transporting the injured individuals and the deceased to the Shakti Nagar Primary Health Centre and the Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS).

Specialised units, including a bomb disposal squad and a canine unit, carried out site inspections, while the fire brigade doused fire at the simulated blast locations.

Red barricades were set up around the affected areas and public entry was restricted as part of the containment protocol.

Officials emphasised the need for heightened vigilance and preparedness, especially in protecting vital installations like RTPS and YTPS (Yermarus Thermal Power Station) and chemical factories in the region.

They urged security forces and police personnel to maintain alertness at all times.

Personnel from multiple government departments, including Police, Home Guards, Fire and Emergency Services, Health and Family Welfare, Food and Civil Supplies, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), took part in the mock drill, demonstrating coordinated efforts in managing high-risk emergency scenarios.

“As per the directions of the Union and the State governments, we have conducted the civil defence mock drill in Shakti Nagar and Deosugur areas in Raichur district. The exercises were aimed at preparing public servants and the general people to face attacks by enemy country, if any. It is also a rehearsal for personnel in the government departments, especially the Police, Fire and Emergency Services, health and family welfare, to have a swift and coordinated action against emergency situations arising out of possible attacks,” Raichur Deputy Commissioner Nitish K. told media representatives after the mock drill.

He also appealed to the people not to panic by stating that the mock drill was just to check the preparedness of different government departments to handle any emergency situation.

“The district administration is ready to handle any critical situation arising out of a possible enemy attack. We have formed several teams that are trained in civil defence. We are going to form and train teams at the gram panchayat level as well. Specifically, the CISF personnel, who are entrusted with the responsibility of protecting RTPS and YTPS, are already trained to handle enemy attacks,” Mr. Nitish said and added that the district administration has already established a toll-free helpline to respond to citizen’s grievances during emergencies.

Superintendent of Police Puttamadaiah M. said that several government departments, with their own specific roles, participated in the exercise with proper coordination, contributing their part to make the exercise a success.

“More than 10 government departments participated in the drill. The purpose of the exercise is to prepare public servants and the general public to effectively face external enemy threat and protect themselves in such emergencies,” Mr. Puttamadaiah said.