Key Points

The drills, which commenced on May 7, are being carried out in coordination with the Revenue Department, the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) in Chennai, and respective district-level emergency units.

According to an official statement, the upcoming phase will focus on major reservoirs under the State Water Resources Department.

The exercise will begin with tabletop simulations, followed by full-scale on-site drills in the latter half of the week.

The District Collectors and the Greater Chennai Corporation will oversee the execution of these activities.

The initiative, undertaken based on the advisory issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, seeks to evaluate the readiness of the civil defence mechanism in the event of emergencies, particularly those resembling war-like scenarios.

Installations being tested include critical infrastructure such as ports, power stations, airports and atomic facilities.

As of now, the drills have been successfully conducted at several key sites, including the Atomic Power Station in Kalpakkam (Chengalpattu district), Chennai Port Trust, Chennai Petro Chemicals Limited in Manali, Kamarajar Port Limited in Ennore, V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority, and the Thoothukudi Thermal Power Station in Thoothukudi district.

During the mock drills, scenarios such as air raids were simulated to test emergency response systems.

Exercises included rehearsals in civil protection, safe evacuation procedures and provision of first aid, in order to measure the efficiency and coordination of different emergency response teams.

Authorities have clarified that these are routine preparedness drills and that there is no cause for public concern.

"These civil defence exercises are being conducted solely to assess readiness at specific locations. Regular operations and public life in other areas will continue without disruption. There is no need for panic," the statement added.

The drills follow heightened national security concerns in the wake of the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, underscoring the importance of emergency preparedness across all states.

- IANS