Personnel from National Disaster Response Force, Telangana Fire, Disaster Response, Emergency and Civil Defence department, Police, Health and other departments were see engaged in a mock rescue operation as part of the civil disaster mock drill conducted in an apartment in Secunderabad, Hyderabad, May 7, 2025
| Photo Credit:
NAGARA GOPAL
Hyderabad residents at the four designated sites for Operation Abhyaas, a citywide civil defence mock drill, said their Wednesday (May 7) morning began with rescue operation rehearsals. Once the preparatory exercises wrapped up by midday, they had a brief gap of about three hours before the main drill kicked off at 4 p.m., complete with sirens and simulated explosions echoing across the colonies.
At each of these sites, vehicles of the Disaster Response Force units, ambulances, traffic patrols and fire tenders rolled in the streets hours before the drill, for rehearsal. As the clock struck 4, a two-minute siren came as a warning, after which officials in khaki, orange, and camouflage suits sprang into action.
At Aswini Colony, West Marredpally in Secunderabad, the rescue operations were carried out in the Manbhum Millennium Residency. “We learnt to coordinate with each other and how to deal with the situation without panicking. There was a slight sense of fear, but I knew this was just a practice and now after completing it, I think I will not be scared when a real life emergency strikes,” shared Sidiksha, a class 10 student of Geetanjali High School and a resident of the building.
Dr Neeraj, a dentist and a resident of Aswini Colony, had arrived at the spot with his 11-year-old daughter. “I wanted my daughter to know how the emergency response works, how we can safeguard ourselves and who we can approach in this kind of a situation instead of just going here and there and panicking,” said Dr Neeraj as he lent a hand to his daughter who was observing the mock drill in the apartment complex.
At Mayflower Apartments in Nacharam’s Mallapur X road, Ishita, 11, who took part in the rescue simulation, said the experience was interesting and left her feeling more prepared. “There’s so much alarming news online—especially on Instagram. But this gave us some real confidence,” she said.
Anjaneyulu, a banking professional living on the eighth floor, said officials had assessed the building and briefed residents on support measures. “We now know what steps to take and have some hands-on understanding of how to respond during emergencies. We now have more practical knowledge,” he noted.
Jyothi, a homemaker from the ninth floor, said this was her first experience of such a drill. “I was nervous at first, but now I have some confidence about what actions to take during an emergency—how to escape, help others, and protect ourselves. They also mentioned follow-up training sessions,” she added.
At the BPS twin towers in Kanchanbagh, where only 30 of the 504 flats are currently occupied, the drill was relatively subdued due to the low turnout. Rathod from a sweet shop outside the apartment said that drill could have engaged more citizens than just the residents of the designated buildings. ”It is the right thing to do; however, I feel by involving more public, the awareness would have been wider,” he said.
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Published on May 7, 2025