As Operation Sindoor remains on hold, the Ministry of Home Affairs has directed the bordering states of India to carry out a Civil Defence Mock Drill. Last time, India directed to conduct a nationwide mock drill on May 7, but on that night, India carried out airstrikes and destroyed at least 9 terror launchpads in PoK and Pakistan under Operation Sindoor. Hence, the upcoming Civil Defence mock drill is said to be Mock Drill 2.0. Notably, Maock Drill on May 31 has been named Operation Shield, and it is being done to keep residents living in bordering states, especially in sensitive districts, vigilant and prepared for any kind of Pakistan's misadventure.
Now, the question arises, will there be any blackout in Punjab on May 31 during the mock drill? Below is what you need to know-
Special DGP, Civil Defence, of Punjab, Sanjeev Kalra, confirmed to True Scoop and said, "Yes, we’ve received the directions from the Ministry of Home Affairs. All arrangements are being finalized in coordination with the district administrations. Our goal is to test and strengthen real-time response capabilities."
Special DGP Sanjeev Kalra informed that all the DCs have been recommended to do a blackout in the districts, even for a 10-minute interval, as part of the mock drill. However, no district administration has issued any kind of notification confirming the schedule of the blackout in Punjab on May 31.
On the direction of MHA, the Punjab Home Guards & Civil Defence Department has announced that the 2nd Civil Defence Exercise, codenamed "Operation Shield," will be conducted across all districts of Punjab on May 31, 2025, at 1800 hours ( 6 pm ).
As per the official notification of MHA, Operation Shield will focus on several critical contingencies mentioned below-