Delhi govt tests air raid sirens, tells people not to panic

Air raid sirens were heard in New Delhi on Friday afternoon (May 9) with the Delhi government conducting a mock drill as tensions continued to escalate between India and Pakistan.

The Delhi government issued a statement before the drill telling people not to panic and that the Directorate of Civil Defence would be testing air raid sirens it had installed at the PWD headquarters at ITO.

Delhi govt statement

“The testing will commence at 3.00 pm and be carried out for a period of 15-20 minutes. Accordingly, it is requested that adequate publicity may be made through social and electronic media so that the general public are advised to stay calm and not to panic during the said exercise,” said the statement.

Also Read: 138 flights cancelled at Delhi airport amid escalating India-Pak tension

At 3 pm, the mock drill began and the sirens were sounded at least twice.

40-50 more sirens to be installed

Delhi’s PWD Minister Parvesh Varma said 40-50 more air raid sirens would be installed across Delhi, with each siren covering an area of 8 km.

“We have started installing sirens in Delhi. At least 40-50 more sirens will be installed on high-rise buildings starting tonight and will have a range of 8 km. The installation should be completed in a couple of days. The sirens will be used during emergency situations, and will be controlled from one command centre. They will be sounded for 5 minutes,” said Varma.

Also Read: Operation Sindoor: Mock drills conducted in various cities across India

The government is taking these steps to give sufficient warning to the citizens in case of any air raid as Pakistan reportedly launched a wave of missiles and drones at various targets in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Rajasthan on Thursday (May 8).