Srinagar, May 28: The large-scale mock drill exercise ëOperation Shieldí, which was scheduled to be conducted across Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, has been officially postponed, senior officials said Wednesday.
The mock drill, aimed at testing the preparedness of multiple emergency response agencies including disaster management authorities, Police, Health Departments, and civil administration, was set to simulate high-intensity disaster scenarios across all districts of J&K.
A senior official from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said, ìYes, ëOperation Shieldí, which was supposed to be held this Thursday, has been postponed. Fresh dates for the exercise will be notified in due course.î
ëOperation Shieldí was conceived as part of a nationwide effort to evaluate the readiness of government departments and emergency services in the face of potential natural or man-made disasters, including earthquakes, floods, terror attacks, or industrial accidents.
The exercise was also aimed at improving inter-agency coordination and public awareness.
The district administrations had been directed earlier this morning to make necessary preparations for the drill, including the identification of mock incident sites, setting up of control rooms, coordination with hospitals, and deployment of rescue personnel.
Awareness campaigns and mock alerts were also planned to involve residents in the drill.
Officials had said that the mock drill would involve sirens, emergency vehicle movement, temporary traffic diversions, and public announcements to simulate a real-time disaster response.
The public was advised not to panic and to cooperate with the authorities.
Following the postponement, district disaster management authorities have been instructed to continue with internal reviews and tabletop exercises to maintain momentum in preparedness planning.
