DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Haryana Financial Commissioner (Revenue) Sumita Misra on Tuesday said the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management, along with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), will conduct the full-scale mock drill 'Exercise Suraksha Chakra' on August 1.

The drill will take place in Gurugram, Rewari, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal districts. She said the disaster management exercise, which is underway as part of a four-day initiative till August 1 for the entire National Capital Region (NCR), aims to rigorously assess and strengthen real-time emergency response capabilities in the face of large-scale disasters like earthquakes and industrial chemical hazards.

The exercise involves participation from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi across 18 districts, alongside the Indian Army's HQ Western Command and HQ Delhi Area. It aims to strengthen inter-agency coordination, validate existing disaster management plans, and rigorously test real-time emergency response capabilities through a unified approach involving administration, armed forces, emergency services, and community stakeholders, incident response system across all levels, strengthen emergency support functions and identify resource gaps, she said.

Misra emphasised that this initiative "sets a benchmark for disaster resilience in Haryana and is expected to significantly enhance the state's capacity to manage real-life emergencies through proactive planning, effective coordination, and inclusive participation".

She said district disaster management authorities have received directives to activate the emergency operations centres and conduct pre-mock awareness campaigns, ensuring the clear demarcation of staging areas, medical aid posts, relief camps, and safe evacuation routes.

They are also tasked with actively involving Aapda Mitra, Red Cross, NCC, NSS, NYKS volunteers, and NGOs, and coordinating extensively with local stakeholders. Crucially, all risky real-life simulations for civilians will be avoided, with trained personnel from NDRF, SDRF, and Fire Services conducting all rescue operations. During the exercise, sirens will sound at 9 a.m., initiating the drill, followed by immediate evacuation procedures, Misra added.

Following the exercise, a state-level debriefing and feedback session, chaired by senior officers, will be held to evaluate the exercise.

Observers will provide performance reviews and self-assessment reports to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement, with a comprehensive final report, including videos and photographs, to be compiled

for future reference.

(editor@dailyworld.in)