Mock drills in Raichur, Mysuru, Mandya and Karwar from Friday

Bengaluru: The civil defence mock drills in Raichur, Mysuru, Mandya and Karwar in Karnataka will be held from Friday, May 9, senior officers said.

According to the current plan, the mock drills will be held in Raichur on May 9, in Mysuru on May 10, in Mandya on May 11 and in Karwar (Uttara Kannada) on May 12.

The dates were confirmed to DH by Vartika Katiyar, DIG and Additional Commandant General, Home Guards and Ex-Officio Additional Director, Civil Defence. She said that currently, there was no plan to redo the drills in Bengaluru.

On Wednesday, following directions from the Centre, civil defence mock drills were held at the Home Guards and Civil Defence Academy in Bengaluru. The drills focused on what the civilians should do in case of a hostile attack and an emergency.

The drills also explored several scenarios, including the usage of air raid sirens and the emergency evacuation, relief and rescue measures.

While Bengaluru city, Karwar and Raichur were selected for the mock drills based on the Centre’s directions, it has been extended to Mandya and Mysuru, following intelligence inputs and other factors, senior officers said.

Officers said that Bengaluru was chosen due to the dense population and the presence of many Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), defence establishments like the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and IT hubs.

Karwar was chosen because of the Kaiga Atomic Power Station (KAPS) and INS Kadamba, a major Naval base, and Raichur due to the KPCL Raichur Thermal Power Plant.

Adequate security personnel available: Parameshwara

Home Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday said the state has an adequate number of security personnel. The Home Minister’s response came amid the heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.

Speaking with reporters in Bengaluru, the Home Minister said that the number of security personnel has been maintained and there was no reduction in the strength.

“There is also a proposal for additional recruitment. This is a regular exercise,” Parameshwara said. "Following the Pahalgam terror attack, the Centre has issued directions. The severity of the issue has been communicated to the superintendents of police in all districts."