Indore: Food Delivery Apps, Cab Aggregators Halt Services During 12-Minute Blackout

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Indore presented a united front on Wednesday as it religiously observed a 12-minute blackout, beginning at 7.30 pm, following the Ministry of Home Affairs orders amid escalating tensions with Pakistan.

The blackout, spanning the entire city, was a planned simulation of a wartime emergency or disaster scenario. As sirens echoed through the city at precisely 7.30 pm, all lights from households to commercial establishments, traffic signals, and streetlights were voluntarily turned off. Vehicles on roads and highways, including the bypass and ring roads, halted wherever they were, switching off their headlights and remaining stationary for 12 minutes.

Even as it exulted in the success of the armed forces’ Operation Sindoor that targeted terror camps in PoK and Pakistan earlier in the day, the city plunged into darkness at night. Streets that are usually bustling with activity fell eerily silent with residents adhering to the government’s call and switching off lights. 

Important Figures

Drill duration – 240 min

Blackout – 12 min

Mock drill areas – 3 

Total force used – 1000+

People rescued – 300+

Drill timings – 04:00- 08:00 pm

Indore’s citizens played a pivotal role by voluntarily switching off lights, drawing curtains, and ensuring complete darkness within homes and businesses. Streets were submerged in darkness, simulating conditions during a potential air raid or national security emergency. 

Food delivery services, as well as cab aggregators, paused operations during the blackout window. No private or commercial vehicle was allowed to move during the exercise, as part of a carefully coordinated lockdown of movement.

All entry points into the city, such as Kshipra Toll, Rau Circle, Tejaji Nagar, and Gandhi Nagar, followed blackout protocols. Vehicles entering Indore were instructed to stop and switch off lights.

BRTS corridors, underpasses, and city arteries were completely immobilised, following a strict communication protocol delivered by traffic and police officials.

The drill was supervised by top administrative officials and other senior authorities from disaster management, health services, fire departments, and civil defence.

This blackout was the final phase of a three-part mock drill that began earlier in the day with simulated attacks and rescue operations at the Government Dental College, Residency area, and the Boys’ Hostel of the MGM Medical College. The drill included rescue efforts, medical evacuation, fire suppression, and coordination of multiple emergency services to test response efficiency.

Warning sirens installed at 12 locations

Warning signals that can be sounded in the same tone simultaneously across the city have been installed at 12 BSNL telephone exchanges. The sirenshave been installed on the towers at Nehru Park, Transport Nagar, Meghdoot Park, Dhanvantari Nagar, Chhawani, Scheme No. 94, Krishi Upaj Mandi, Tilak Path, Akashwani, Rau, Mangalia, and Gandhi Nagar telephone exchanges. Before Wednesday’s blackout, generators were connected to the sirens. Pankaj Upadhyay, general manager of BSNL, Indore Business area, got the work done under his supervision.

Mock drills successful: Collector

Collector Asheesh Singh said that the mock drills were conducted successfully and effectively.Active participation of all the stakeholders was ensured in the mock drills, so that loss of life and property could be minimised in case of any disaster. Disaster management was tested in real time in the mock drills. Expressing his gratitude, Singh praised everyone involved for the successful conduct of the mock drill.

Key agencies coordinate, hold search-and-rescue ops

iming to assess the city’s preparedness for emergency situations, a large-scale civil defence mock drill was successfully conducted on Wednesday. The drill was carried out in three phases, involving participation from the police, district administration, Indore Municipal Corporation, fire services, health department, disaster management teams, and other key agencies. 

The primary goal of the drill was to evaluate the effectiveness and coordination of various agencies during emergencies such as air raids, fires, explosions, and other crises. It also aimed to raise public awareness and offer hands-on training to citizens on how to respond in such situations.

Divisional Commissioner Deepak Singh, Collector Asheesh Singh, Commissioner of Police Santosh Kumar Singh, and IMC Commissioner Shivam Verma oversaw all the preparation throughout the different exercises.

First Phase

The first phase began at the Government Dental College at 4 pm when the control room received information about a simulated attack and fire at the college, with many people reportedly trapped inside. Fire brigades, police, district officials, and municipal teams immediately reached the spot and initiated rescue and relief operations. Using various tools and techniques, they evacuated the injured via ladders, ropes, and sent them to hospitals via ambulances. Firefighting units successfully extinguished the fire using water tankers. After dousing the flames, a thorough search operation was also conducted, and four suspects involved in terror activities were caught.

Second phase

The second phase was conducted at the Residency Kothi. A mock alert was issued after police received information around 5 pm, indicating a possible attack, with many people trapped. Civil defence teams, along with police and district authorities, safely evacuated 116 civilians to adesignated bunker within the Residency area through buses.

Third phase

The third phase was carried out at the Boys’ Hostel of the MGM Medical College, where a mock drill was conducted after the building caught fire due to an air strike and was damaged. Rescue teams from all the departments rushed to the spot, carried out search-and-rescue operations, and safely evacuated 73 people trapped. The 18 injured, who were trapped under the debris, were promptly taken to nearby hospitals.

The health department had set up temporary hospitals, and several injuredpeople were taken to MY Hospital for treatment, thus testing the emergency medical response system.

The drill tested:

• Air raid warning systems

• Communication with the Indian Air Force

• Functionality of main and shadow control rooms

• Blackout and evacuation plans

• Quick concealment measures for significant facilities

• Readiness of civil defence teams, wardens, fire and rescue units

• Depot management, supply chains, and relief operations