• Rehearsal this evening
• Drill at KRS on May 11

Mysuru: As the Indian defence forces intensify ‘Operation Sindoor’, mounting its attack on Pakistan, following the Pahalgam killings in Kashmir that claimed the lives of 26 tourists on Apr. 22, Mock Drills are being conducted across the country to ensure the safety and security of common man in case of any counter attack by the rival nation.

In Mysuru too, the District Administration is making preparations to conduct a Mock Drill named ‘Operation Abhyas’ tomorrow (May 10) at 4 pm at Mysore Palace premises in the city, following instructions from Union Home Ministry.

On the eve of the full-fledged drill, a rehearsal will be conducted this evening at the same  venue at 4 pm.

Sources told Star of Mysore that as part of the rehearsal, an aircraft takes off from Mysore Airport at Mandakalli at 4 pm and will do a sortie around the Palace, for three times, followed by the sounding of Fire and Emergency Services Department siren installed at two points near the Jayamarthanda Gate of the Palace.

 The siren is to alert the security forces, involving Police, Home Guards, Fire and Emergency Services personnel, NCC cadets, along with Health and Family Welfare Department personnel to jump into action.

A controlled blast will be conducted at the Palace premises, following which Anti-Sabotage Check (ASC) team, Bomb Detection Squad and Bomb Defusal Squad personnel will swing into action. There will be about 40 members in each team and the whole exercise may last 15 minutes.

The Health and Family Welfare Department personnel shall be providing first-aid to the injured and rushing the survivors to nearby hospitals, where the beds will be kept ready in advance, to treat them as per emergency protocol.

It is said that, the District Administration zeroed in on Palace to conduct the Mock Drill instead of a public place, to avoid creating unnecessary panic among the people.

Answering a specific question, Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy clarified that ‘Except for deploying the Fire and Emergency Services Department’s siren, no Air Raid Precautions (ARP) will be conducted in the city, as no such exercise was conducted in Bengaluru, where the sirens were put to use recently.’