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