Following the directive from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to conduct one-day mock drills, ‘Operation Abhyas’—the codename assigned to these exercises—was executed across Maharashtra, including major cities like Pune and Mumbai. On Wednesday, May 7, 2025, Civil Defence authorities carried out drills at multiple locations, including the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), to demonstrate emergency protocols and response readiness.
The drills featured demonstrations of fire safety measures, firefighting techniques, air strike response procedures, and casualty rescue and revival methods.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced that mock drills will continue for five more days, including a blackout drill scheduled at various points across Mumbai.
In Mumbai, the drills were jointly carried out by the Mumbai Police, Civil Defence, BMC, and the Fire Department, with additional support from the NDRF, Home Guard, NCC, NSS, and paramedic teams. Similar exercises were held in Kalyan (Thane district), Pune, Nashik, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Uran, and Tarapur. The final drills on Wednesday included a blackout simulation in Mumbai’s Anushakti Nagar and in Tarapur.
On the Ground: Simulating Emergency Response
At CSMT, the Civil Defence unit demonstrated how to assist the injured during an attack and how to extinguish fires effectively. Security checks were also carried out, with police dog squads deployed for added vigilance.
Dr. Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer of Central Railways, commented:
“The mock drill demonstrated alertness and aimed to raise public awareness about emergency response.”
The drills were designed to enhance existing emergency response systems and to prepare citizens to stay calm in crisis situations.
“War creates situations where not everything can be controlled. As citizens, we must try to reduce the loss of life,” said Prabhat Kumar, Director General of Civil Defence.
He also noted that a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Civil Defence Department and Mumbai University in February 2025 to integrate emergency training modules into the academic curriculum.
