Blackout Chaos: Bihar's 6 Districts Test Air Raid Drills

Chaos gripped Bihar's urban landscapes Thursday evening when piercing sirens echoed through Patna and five other districts, triggering an instant blackout. At precisely 7 PM, power grids shut down, plunging streets into pitch darkness. Citizens responded swiftly, extinguishing lights in homes, markets, and workplaces. By 7:15 PM, normalcy returned as supply resumed, wrapping up a tense 15-minute simulation. Organized per Union Home Ministry guidelines, the mock drill targeted aerial assaults and blackout protocols. Bihar's Disaster Management, Civil Defence, and local administrations collaborated across Patna, Kishanganj, Begusarai, Purnea, Araria, and Katihar. Chief Secretary Pratyay Amrit spearheaded the integrated exercise, focusing on multi-agency synergy for crisis response. The drill featured six varied scenarios, with Civil Defence DG Dr. Paresh Saxena overseeing from Patna's command center. Principal Secretary Santosh Kumar Mall directed Joint Secretary Md. Nadimul Gaffar Siddiqui to monitor via the State Emergency Operations Centre, linking up with district heads through video calls for real-time updates. Patna's hotspots included the district headquarters, Biscomaun tower, Bakkipur terminal, and IGIMS hospital grounds. In Kishanganj, drills hit the Collectorate, bus depot, and Gandhi intersection. Purnea activated sites like the university campus, local school, theater field, tech chowk, market hubs, and produce mandi. Araria blanketed agricultural offices, sports venues, schools, and town councils in Forbisganj, Jogbani, Narpatganj, and Jokihat with practice runs. On-ground inspections by Patna DM Thyagarajan S.M. and Katihar DM Ashutosh Diwedi highlighted administrative vigilance. This blackout rehearsal not only tested infrastructure resilience but also public awareness, reinforcing Bihar's robust defense mechanisms against hypothetical invasions. The successful execution signals heightened readiness for unforeseen adversities.