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Panchkula

Over 1,500 participate in massive drill

A large number of people on Wednesday took part in the mega mock drill that was launched by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the district administration jointly here. The mock drill was carried out at 15 locations with experts listing out the steps that people should follow in case of earthquake or fire.

District development project officer (DDPO), Kapil Sharma said that during the mock drill, people were informed about the measures that need to be taken in the event of earthquake or fire. He said that it has been noticed that people get panicky in the event of natural or man-made calamities and they were informed of the measures of how to tackle it.

The district administration and the NDMA had set up an emergency operation center to review the mock drill. "The response to the mock drill was overwhelming. Over 1,500 people took part in it," said Sharma. He said for the mock drill, the district administration had drawn a large number of civil defence volunteers. "Besides the personnel from the National Disaster Reserve Force (NDRF) the mock drill was also witnessed by army and air force observers," he said.

According to officials, the mock drill was aimed at checking the disaster management skills of concerned personnel and to create awareness among people about natural and man-made calamities. The mock drill was held at 15 places including the Civil Hospital, Sector 6, and Bharat Electronic Limited, Industrial Area Phase-II and Alchemist Hospital, Sector 21.

Deputy Commissioner, Panchkula, Ashima Brar, said that the administration had made elaborate arrangements for the successful "demonstration and completion of mock drills". She said that for the drill, the services of 20 fire fighting systems, 19 ambulances, 15 JCB machines and various water tankers along with staff was utilized for the successful completion of these drills. "For the mock drill, a monitoring station was set up at the Mini-Secretariat to assist the incident command posts (ICP) established at various sites in Panchkula.

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