Chandigarh, June 1 -- The authorities in Punjab and Haryana on Saturday conducted a major Statewide civil defence exercise named "Operation Shield" to enhance emergency preparedness and response capabilities. The emergency situations were simulated in all districts of the two neighbouring States during the exercise, which began on Saturday evening. Scenes of volunteers enacting as injured being taken on stretchers to ambulances and fire being put out played out during the mock drills.
The drills were aimed at evaluating and enhancing the efficacy of emergency response mechanisms in real-time situations. The mock drills saw coordinated participation from multiple agencies, including the fire and emergency services, police, health department...