Karwar: In order to raise public awareness about rescue measures during war-like emergencies, the Ministry of Home Affairs has directed a series of civil defense mock drills under the initiative ‘Operation Abhyas’, which will be conducted across various parts of Karwar today, Monday. These drills will be purely simulated exercises, and the public is urged not to panic.

The exercise will begin at 4:00 PM with a mock scenario of a building collapse at Grasim Industries in Binaga, where a rescue operation will be carried out to save individuals trapped in the debris. At the same time, an internal mock drill will take place at the Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant, simulating a fire emergency and testing the plant’s internal response protocols.

At 5:00 PM, another mock drill will be conducted near the Naval Base in Amadalli, where a fire emergency will be simulated in a civilian colony, focusing on evacuation and fire control procedures. This will be followed at 6:00 PM by a public rescue exercise at Ravindranath Tagore Beach in Karwar and an evacuation drill in Hattikeri village, targeting communities residing near dam areas.

A blackout drill will be organized from 7:30 PM to 8:00 PM in Karwar city and Kaiga Township. During this time, residents will be instructed to switch off all lights, close windows and doors, and turn off any visible sources of illumination. Motorists will be advised to stop their vehicles safely and switch off headlights. This drill will simulate air raid response protocols and reduce visibility to enemy forces in potential wartime scenarios.

More than 1,000 personnel will participate in the drills, including members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Police Department, Fire Services, Grasim emergency teams, the Revenue Department, the National Cadet Corps (NCC), and volunteers from local organizations such as the Rotary Club, community watch groups, and sports clubs.

The district administration and police have appealed to the public to remain calm and cooperate during the drills. They emphasized that the objective of Operation Abhyas is to educate the public and evaluate the preparedness of emergency response systems in order to ensure a more effective and coordinated response during real emergencies.