Air Raid Blackout Mock Drill Scheduled in Shopian on April 24
Srinagar: The District Administration Shopian has ordered the conduct of a Civil Defence air raid and blackout mock drill on April 24, 2026, as part of a coordinated preparedness exercise across Jammu and Kashmir.
According to an official order issued by the Office of the District Magistrate, the exercise will be held at Government Degree College Shopian in two phases. Phase-I, comprising the mock drill, will begin at 2:00 PM, while Phase-II, involving a complete blackout simulation, will take place from 8:00 PM to 8:10 PM.
The order follows directions from the Home Department and further instructions from HGCD/SDRF authorities, mandating all district administrations to conduct coordinated civil defence drills with active participation of stakeholders.
The Executive Engineer, R and B Division Shopian, has been appointed as the Nodal Officer to supervise the exercise, while the Tehsildar Shopian will function as Liaison Officer under the Incident Response System (IRS), responsible for activating and coordinating response teams.
All key departments, including Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Health, Civil Defence, SDRF, PDD, Transport, and Municipal authorities, have been directed to participate actively and report at the venue by 12:30 PM to ensure smooth execution of the drill.
The exercise will simulate critical emergency scenarios such as air raid warnings, enforced blackout measures, evacuation procedures, search and rescue operations, and coordinated emergency response, in accordance with prescribed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
To prevent public panic, the District Information Officer has been tasked with ensuring widespread awareness through print, electronic media, and public announcements ahead of the drill.
Deputy Commissioner Shopian, Shishir Gupta, who also serves as Chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), has directed all officials to strictly adhere to safety protocols and execute the exercise in a controlled and coordinated manner.
The SDRF and Civil Defence units will deploy personnel and volunteers for the drill, ensuring full-scale operational readiness and inter-agency coordination. (Agencies)