Dhenkanal: Mock drills stimulating scenarios such as fire emergencies and search and rescue operations were carried out by Dhenkanal district administration on Wednesday.

As part of nationwide civil defence mock drill ‘Operation Abhyaas’, the administration, led by Collector Somesh Kumar Upadhyay, exhibited emergency rescue operation to be in a state of readiness in case of an attack by enemy.

The Collector appealed to the people to stay united during war situation and know the basic skills of survival in case of emergency. All the district-level officers took part in the mock drill aimed at strengthening emergency preparedness. Dhenkanal is one of the 12 districts in Odisha were the drill was conducted. Fire brigade personnel displayed how to respond in case of a fire and evacuate people stranded in buildings.

The nationwide drill was conducted on the instructions of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which had asked all States and Union Territories to organise such exercises in the light of the “new and complex threats” following the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.