New Delhi: In Uttar Pradesh, lights of all the houses went off at 6 pm today. There was darkness all around. Actually, a blackout mock drill is being organized by the state government on Friday. In the evening, as soon as the hands of the clock stopped at 6, the lights started going out one by one, due to which there was darkness all around.
The sound of siren started being heard there. After the lights went out, people came out of their houses and came onto the rooftops. Some people could not understand after hearing the sound of siren. This situation continued for 10 minutes. Actually, this is a mock drill, the purpose of which is to test the preparedness to deal with an emergency-like situation.
Pictures and videos of blackout mock drill have also surfaced from some districts of UP. After the blackout, there was darkness in the Collectorate, markets and residential areas in Bareilly district and sirens started being heard. During this period, there was strict monitoring by the police administration. No lights were seen burning anywhere. People were instructed to stay in their homes. The administration had completely banned mobile flash, torch and smoking. Traffic appeared completely stopped at the intersections. Only the police were visible. Civil defense and emergency services remained on alert mode.
At the same time, the fire brigade team also conducted mock drills by setting fire at many places, so that if such a crisis arises in future, how to deal with it and how to extinguish the fire quickly. During this time many fire brigade vehicles and staff were present. The fire team conducted such mock drills in many areas of Bareilly.
Mock drill conducted in Ambedkarnagar and Firozabad
Whereas blackout mock drill was practiced in Ambedkar Nagar and Firozabad districts. This exercise continued from 6 pm to 6:10 pm, in which lights were kept switched off in many areas of the district. Blackout exercise and relief-rescue mock drill were also conducted in the playground and surrounding areas of PD Jain Inter College in Firozabad district, so as to ensure quick response in case of any possible air attack or disaster.
CM Yogi watched blackout mock drill in Lucknow
In the capital Lucknow, there was blackout i.e. power supply was stopped for 10 minutes at 6:00 pm. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath himself was also present on the occasion of mark drill organized in the police lines. The practicing teams sounded the alert siren and signaled everyone to lie down. As soon as the signal was given, everyone lay down. The health department team was present with the ambulance on the spot. Teams of SDRF and NDRF were also present.
What is blackout mock drill?
Blackout is a situation when electricity supply in an area is completely stopped, leaving people in darkness. This could be due to technical fault, natural disaster, or other reasons. Also, to hide the identity of the city/area at night for protection from enemy air strikes or drone attacks, blackout is done to take strategic precautions in situations like disaster or war, to protect the national security and life and property of citizens.
According to experts, history has been witness to the fact that blackouts have saved the lives of millions of people during wartime. During World War II, blackouts were used regularly in many countries to confuse enemy aerial surveillance. Even though the possibility of direct war is less in today’s era, such blackouts are considered very important from the point of view of disaster management and security exercises. This enables a real assessment of the preparedness of the administration as well as the general public.