In a bid to strengthen civil defence preparedness and test a recently installed emergency siren, a mock drill will be conducted at the Patiala Rail Engine Factory on October 31.
Sharing information, Patiala Locomotive Workshop factory manager Nishant Bansiwal said that a new three-phase 5 HP electric siren has been installed at the railway workshop. He added that during Operation Sindoor in May, a need for a large siren in the area was felt. Following this, under the directions of Deputy Commissioner Dr Preeti Yadav, the district administration facilitated the installation of this new siren.
Bansiwal stated that now that the siren has been installed, a mock drill will be conducted to test it. In accordance with the district administration’s instructions, the siren will be sounded at 11:30 am on October 31 to ensure that in the future, during any emergency, it can be effectively used to alert people.
“People are therefore requested to treat this as a testing exercise only and not to spread or believe any kind of rumours. The sole purpose of this mock drill is to evaluate coordination between rescue agencies and civil administration, by simulating emergency situations in a public setting. It is part of a comprehensive initiative to assess the emergency response systems of civil defence and home guards, in line with the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Directorate General of Fire Services, civil defence, and home guards,” the Deputy Commissioner said.
Meanwhile, the workshop’s safety officer Ram Singh said that the purpose of testing the siren is to simulate emergency situations in a controlled and safe manner, so that both citizens and the administration are better prepared to respond effectively in real crises. He emphasised that there is no need to panic when the siren sounds.
He further mentioned that such mock drills have been conducted earlier as well, and citizens should not be alarmed, as this is only a preparedness exercise being carried out as part of civil defence measures to deal with any emergency situation.
