Civil Defence Exercise ‘Operation Shield’ Postponed in Several Border States Due to Administrative Reasons
A major civil defence exercise, Operation Shield, initially scheduled for May 29 across several states and Union Territories (UTs) bordering western India, has been postponed.
States including Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh officially announced the deferment of the mock drill on Wednesday evening, citing administrative reasons and directives from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Haryana, Chandigarh: Put Drill on Hold
The Haryana government released a statement confirming the postponement of the large-scale civil defence preparedness drill across all 22 districts, initially slated between 5 pm and 9 pm on Thursday. The decision was taken by the MHA instructions.
“All deputy commissioners and other concerned departments have been notified about the postponement of the comprehensive civil defence exercise, Operation Shield,” the statement said.
Similarly, the Chandigarh administration announced the deferral of its scheduled drill. In a statement issued late Wednesday, officials clarified,
“Following instructions from the Government of India, the planned civil defence exercise on May 29 is postponed. There will be no blackout or mock drill tomorrow.”
Rajasthan, Punjab Also Postpone Drill
Rajasthan, where mock drills were scheduled to take place across all 41 districts, also postponed its participation in Operation Shield.
Officials confirmed that the exercise was deferred for administrative reasons, with a new date to be announced soon. Guidelines had earlier been circulated for blackouts and coordinated emergency actions as part of the drill.
Punjab, on the other hand, proposed an alternate date due to the ongoing training of its civil defence personnel by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
The state requested to conduct the mock drill on June 3 instead. The Centre approved the proposal, and Punjab officials confirmed that all deputy commissioners have been informed about the rescheduled exercise.
Background of Operation Shield
Operation Shield was conceptualised as a coordinated civil defence drill to bolster preparedness along India’s western frontier, particularly in light of rising security concerns.
The Directorate General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards—under the Ministry of Home Affairs—had communicated plans to implement the drill across Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, and Chandigarh.
This comes in the aftermath of the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians.
In retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist camps at nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Between May 7 and May 10, both sides engaged in border skirmishes, with Pakistani forces responding with heavy shelling along the Line of Control (LoC), and drone and missile attacks along the International Border.
Purpose of the Drill
The first civil defence drill held on May 7 had revealed significant shortcomings in emergency preparedness in high-risk areas. In response, the Home Ministry invoked emergency powers and activated funding through the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to address these vulnerabilities.
Operation Shield was designed as a follow-up to bridge those gaps. Planned activities included activation of centrally controlled air raid sirens, blackout protocols in civilian zones, and mock evacuations.
One of the scenarios involved simulated drone attacks and the evacuation of families from military stations, deployment of medical teams, and transport of critical supplies like blood units.
Authorities have stated that the new schedule for the postponed drills will be shared soon, and all states remain on high alert to respond to any future contingencies.
