From installing air sirens to deploying civil defence personnel, setting up control rooms to conducting mock drills; authorities in Delhi are preparing themselves in the wake of a military conflict between India and Pakistan.
Heavy security has been deployed at vital installations, including government buildings and areas with high footfalls in the national capital.
Police have also strengthened vigil in areas with high footfalls, including markets, railway stations, malls, parks and metro stations. The Delhi government cancelled all employee leaves and district magistrates convened emergency meetings to review health and disaster response readiness. Following which, New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), Delhi Police also cancelled leaves of all employees till further orders, said the notice by NDMC and Delhi Police respectively.
Bomb Disposal Squads (BDS) and anti-sabotage teams conducted sweeps across malls, markets, hotels, and public spaces to guard against potential threats.
Police checks were also intensified at Delhi’s border points and metro stations, with paramilitary reinforcements stationed across key locations.
At the administrative level, the 11 revenue districts are making preparations to deal with any eventuality. According to a senior official from the revenue department, air-raid sirens are being installed across Delhi.
“Locations have been identified and air-raid sirens are being installed. The Civil Defence Directorate carried out the testing of an air-raid siren installed atop the multi-storey PWD building at ITO on Friday afternoon. Similar testing exercises will be carried out in other areas also in the coming days,” the official said.
Another official said 10 sirens are being installed in each of the 11 revenue districts. “Each air raid siren is designed to be heard within a particular radius. For instance, some sirens can be heard within a radius of two kilometres, some within four kilometres and some within 16 kilometres. We are installing these sirens so that there are no dark patches,” he added. An official from the East district said the administration is installing air-raid sirens and has deployed civil defence personnel at the office of the district magistrate. He said the district control room has also been activated.
In the Central district, civil defence volunteers are being trained and 50 of them will be deployed in different areas.
“Alongside the upcoming mock drills, awareness campaigns will also be conducted to educate people on how to respond to emergency situations like air raids. Control rooms are being further strengthened and meetings will be held to ensure better coordination,” an official said.
In an order issued on Thursday, the Delhi government’s services department has barred employees from going on leave until further orders.
