Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A 28-minute mock drill conducted at the Railway Station on Wednesday evening, against the backdrop of a potential India-Pakistan war scenario, concluded with the apprehension of two ‘terrorists’ by the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), the Railway Civil Defence Organisation (RCDO) and others.
Suddenly, sirens begin to blare at the railway station. Within seconds, an air strike occurs, and three bombs explode in quick succession. Many people are injured. Before attention can be given to them, two terrorists storm into the station.
Precautions taken to avoid panic at the station
To prevent panic at the railway station during the drill, passengers were given prior notice as a precautionary measure. The drill began at 4 pm. It started with sirens sounding, signalling an impending air strike. Within minutes, three simulated explosions were carried out using firecrackers, resulting in several passengers being ‘injured’ as part of the exercise.
Members of the RCDO promptly responded, carrying the injured on stretchers and on their shoulders to ambulances. Some of the injured were taken to hospitals for treatment, while others received first aid at the station itself.
Following this, a mock fire-fighting demonstration was carried out to contain a blaze at the station entrance. Finally, the drill concluded with the capture of two ‘terrorists’ who had infiltrated the station.
Participants in the 'Mock Drill'
The mock drill saw active participation from several departments and officials. These included Srinivas Suryawanshi, Civil Defence Officer (South Central Railway); Inspectors Abdul Hakim, Rudra Dighole, Uttam Jadhav, and Sunil Mahajan, along with a 20-member Civil Defence team.
Also involved were GRP’s police inspector Sharad Jogdand, PSI Shankar Rathod; API Prashant Gambhirrao and 20 other personnel. From the RPF, Inspector N. Bhaskarrao and PSI K. Chandulal participated with a team of 12 personnel.
From the municipal corporation, Medical Officer of Health (MoH) Dr. Paras Mandlecha and Dr. Archana Rane joined with 15 team members. Besides, Fire Brigade’s Deputy Fire Officers Vijay Rathod and Laxman Kolhe also took part.
Confusion during the 'mock drill'
The microphone system was ineffective, and the siren volume was extremely low.
Other departments were informed about the mock drill by the railways only at the last moment.
During the drill, many personnel from involved agencies were mere spectators.
Crowd control was neglected.
Ambulances transporting the injured had their doors left open.
Tyres had to be searched for at the last minute for the fire demonstration.
MP’s address
At the beginning of the mock drill, MP Dr. Bhagwat Karad delivered a speech. He also took active part in the drill, portraying a role in treating the injured.