Mock Drills Under ‘Operation Shield’ Postponed in Border States; Punjab Announces June 3 as New Date

New Delhi, May 29 : The Centre’s large-scale civil defence exercise, Operation Shield, scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 29 across several border states, has been postponed due to administrative reasons. The drills were intended to simulate emergency response measures amid ongoing security concerns along India’s western border.

States including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh deferred the planned mock drills, which were part of a broader preparedness initiative coordinated by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). So far, only Punjab has officially announced a revised date — June 3 — for conducting the civil defence exercise.

According to official statements, the drills were postponed to allow better administrative coordination and ensure full-scale participation from civil defence units and local administrations. In Haryana, the exercise was initially scheduled to be conducted across all 22 districts between 5 PM and 9 PM on May 29.

A statement from the Haryana Home Department, as quoted by PTI, confirmed: "According to the instructions of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Haryana Home Department announced the postponement of the comprehensive civil defence exercise, Operation Shield, which was scheduled to be conducted on Thursday."

Similarly, the Chandigarh administration issued an advisory stating: “As per directions received from the Government of India, the civil defence exercise Operation Shield, planned for May 29, is hereby postponed due to administrative reasons. There will be no blackout or mock drill tomorrow.”

While the Rajasthan government has assured that a new date will be announced soon, no updated schedules have yet been released by Gujarat, Haryana, or the Chandigarh UT. Furthermore, Jammu & Kashmir has not made any announcement regarding a schedule change as of this report.

The mock drills under Operation Shield are part of the government’s efforts to test and improve emergency preparedness and civilian coordination in the event of hostile incidents such as air strikes or bomb attacks. These full-scale simulations include activation of control rooms, testing of air raid warning systems, and assessments of civil defence services like firefighting, rescue operations, evacuation, and public warning dissemination.

On May 6, similar drills were conducted in various cities across India in conjunction with Operation Sindoor, further underlining the government's intent to ensure readiness in times of national threat.