Shillong, April 20: The Directorate of Civil Defence & Home Guards, Meghalaya, will conduct a statewide Civil Defence Mock Exercise on Air Raid and Blackout titled “ARMEX-I 2026” on April 24, 2026, as per directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The exercise will be carried out across all districts involving multiple stakeholders, including the Air Force, Army, Police, SDRF, Home Guards, Civil Defence volunteers, Fire & Emergency Services, Health and Power departments, and local bodies such as Dorbar Shnongs and village authorities.
The mock drill will be conducted in two stages. Stage I, scheduled from 3 PM to 4 PM, will include simulations of search and rescue operations, fire response, evacuation, and medical response. Civil Defence sirens will be sounded at 3 PM to signal an air raid and again at 4 PM to indicate the “all clear” and conclusion of the exercise.
Stage II will take place from 6:59 PM to 7:02 PM and will simulate an air raid blackout. A siren will sound at 7 PM, following which the public has been requested to switch off all lights and sources of illumination for two minutes as part of the exercise. The blackout will end with an “all clear” siren at 7:02 PM.
Authorities have appealed to the general public to actively participate in the mock drill, which is being conducted in the interest of national security and to enhance preparedness during emergencies and conflict situations.
Officials stated that such exercises are held periodically to raise awareness and ensure readiness to safeguard civilian lives during emergencies.
