Jaipur, May 30 (IANS) Rajasthan Chief Secretary Sudhansh Pant chaired a high-level meeting at the Government Secretariat on Friday, to review preparations for the second phase of the civil security exercise “Operation Shield”, scheduled for Saturday, government officials said.

This mock drill is aimed at evaluating the state’s civil defence preparedness and response capability, in alignment with the guidelines issued by the Union Home Ministry.

During the meeting, Pant emphasised the need to strengthen the communication infrastructure by ensuring all sirens and communication systems are fully functional.

He urged officials to apply the lessons learned from the first mock drill and enhance their readiness to handle war-like scenarios.

He also directed civil defence controllers to determine the drill timing and blackout schedules based on regional conditions while keeping the details confidential to simulate a real-time emergency situation effectively.

The Chief Secretary stressed the importance of inter-agency coordination, faster response time, and strict adherence to civil defence protocols during the exercise.

Director of the Directorate of Civil Defence, Jagjit Singh Monga, provided a detailed briefing on the roles and responsibilities of various departments and agencies involved in the drill.

These include the Indian Air Force, medical services, local bodies, home defence units, the Energy department, police forces, and district administration.

Their synchronised efforts during the exercise will be crucial in testing the efficacy of the state’s disaster response systems.

Senior officials present at the meeting included Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Anand Kumar, Director General of Police U.R. Sahu, Director General (Intelligence) Sanjay Agarwal, Additional Director General (Law and Order) Vishal Bansal, and Nathmal Didel, Managing Director of Rajasthan Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited.

Representatives from the Indian Army, Air Force, and Civil Defence Department were also present during the meeting.

Divisional Commissioners, Inspectors General of Police, District Collectors, and Superintendents of Police joined the meeting via video conferencing.

“Operation Shield” is a state-wide civil defence mock drill designed to assess emergency preparedness, improve inter-departmental coordination, and ensure effective disaster response across Rajasthan.

The exercise underscores the state government’s proactive approach to strengthening internal security and crisis management systems.

–IANS

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