Chennai, May 7 (UNI) In line with the Union Home Ministry's directives to test

the defence preparedness of various agencies in the wake of the Pahalgam

terror attack, a mock war drill was conducted at Chennai Port Authority and

at Kalpakkam, about 70 km from here, housing Atomic Power stations, in

Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

An official release said as per the directions from the Ministry of Home Affairs,

the Chennai Port Authority conducted a comprehensive Civil Defence mock drill

today from 1600 hrs to 1700 hrs, simulating Air Raid in coordination with various

civil and defence agencies.

The exercise was aimed at assessing and enhancing the readiness of Civil Defence

mechanisms through drill, by simulating two simultaneous air raids carried out at two

strategic locations within the Port.

The mock drill was designed to simulate an air raid in Chennai Port to comprehensively

test and validate critical response systems and protocols.

About 500 personnel from Chennai Port Authority, Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Indian

Air Force, Tamil Nadu Police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Oil Terminal,

Chennai District Administration and Port users, actively participated in this large-scale

mock drill.

The Civil Defence Mock drill was carried out under the Port’s Disaster Management Plan

(DMP) framework with active coordination amongst all stakeholders.

At 1600 hours, a simulated air raid was initiated, during which a warning siren was alarmed

to alert stakeholders of the imminent threat.

Upon activation of the siren, Chennai Port's emergency response plan was immediately

implemented, with the Integrated Command and Control Centre of Chennai Port Authority

playing a central role in coordinating efforts with both the Central Government and State

Government agencies and civilian stakeholders to execute the response plan effectively.

The Indian Coast Guard immediately mobilised two vessels to secure the port's seaward

approach and prevent any potential follow-up attacks from the sea.

All Civil Defence agencies from Central Government and State Government agencies were

promptly alerted, and response teams from each of these agencies were swiftly mobilized to

address the simulated threats as part of the coordinated drill operations.

In the simulated air raid scenario, a tank farm containing sensitive goods was depicted as

being impacted.

A coordinated response was executed involving the Chennai Port Firefighting and Rescue

Teams, Central Government agencies, and State Government agencies to control and

extinguish the simulated fire hazard, to evacuate civilians to designated safe houses, to

identify and locate missing personnel, to provide treatment to simulated casualties, to

mobilise Chennai Port Ambulance to the emergency site location and to transport

casualities to the Chennai Port Hospital Emergency Ward where Chennai Port Doctors

attended them.

The comprehensive mock drill witnessed coordinated efforts between Central and State

Government agencies in responding to the simulated air raid at Chennai Port Authority.

Following the conclusion of the large-scale mock drill, Sunil Paliwal, Chairperson of Chennai

Port Authority and Kamarajar Port Limited, chaired a debriefing session in the presence of

S. Viswanathan, Deputy Chairman, Rashmi Siddharth Zagade, District Collector, Chennai

and P Sundaravadivel, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Flower Bazaar.

During the session, the conduct and outcomes of the Civil Defence mock drill were thoroughly

reviewed in collaboration with key stakeholders.

A dedicated training and awareness session was conducted for all mock drill participants to

ensure clarity on the drill procedures, enhance situational awareness, and strengthen response

coordination.

The session briefed participants on the sequence of events during the exercise, identified

gaps observed, and reinforced best practices. Additionally, key aspects of civil defence,

including measures for self-protection in the event of a hostile attack, were thoroughly

covered.

The Chennai Port Authority remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of

Safety and Operational integrity in line with the direction from Government of India and

that of the Nation.

UNI GV 1825