Drill sees mixed response & confusion among residents

Indore: The civil defence drill conducted in Indore was largely successful, with the city coming to an almost complete standstill as planned, on Wednesday. However, presence of functioning streetlights at several locations raised concerns about the thoroughness of the drill's execution by the authorities.As the clock struck 7:30 pm, the city observed a planned blackout initiated by the district administration. Vehicles halted at major intersections as traffic volunteers signalled drivers to stop. Entry points, underpasses, food deliveries, and cabs were restricted, with only emergency vehicles allowed. While many residents were aware of the drill, confusion lingered among several commuters. Some, mistaking the halt for routine traffic congestion, took U-turns, while others switched off their engines and waited calmly, tuning in to the public announcements made by volunteers. "I was heading home from work. I read about the blackout in newspaper, but wasn't sure whether it would be taken seriously," said Rakesh Pipariya, a motorist halting at Vijay Nagar Square."Overall, the blackout was successful in our area. Most people complied and stopped their vehicles. A few had to be informed about the purpose of the drill, and some thought it might last much longer. We clarified their doubts," Pravesh Yadav, a female traffic constable posted at Rajwada told TOI.As sirens echoed at designated time, most areas observed blackout, though a few streetlights remained on. Within minutes, a sense of collective patriotism took over the silence, with chants of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" ringing out from groups of citizens across different parts of the city.IMC additional commissioner NN Pandey told TOI that of the 1,550 streetlights operated on low-tension lines, 700 panels are monitored online through the Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. "We shut down the online panels, the rest remained operational. These panels are connected to domestic supply lines in the respective areas. We managed to switch off streetlights on around 1,100 panels, including all the high masts as per the blackout planned from 7:30 pm."The power department decided to desist from cutting the supply and allowed citizens to volunteer during the drill. In prominent areas like Vijay Nagar, Rasoma, Super Corridor, MR 10, and LIG, the blackout concluded slightly earlier than planned, with traffic beginning to resume around 7:40 pm. The official conclusion of the blackout was marked by a final siren at 7:42 pm.Residential areas across the city observed blackout. But, in a few areas, lights of houses remained on. The elevators in highrise commercial and residential buildings were also halted with the lights off. In some areas like Tilak Nagar, MG Road, Chhawani, Bhanwarkua, and others, the siren sound was not heard. As the blackout began at 7:30 pm, many residents unaware of the drill thought it was a terror attack. "I was at the swimming pool during the blackout, most people were unaware of the drill and I had to explain to them about it. Many were believing in fake social media messages regarding terror attacks happening in the city during the blackout," said Dr Toshi Shrivastava, a resident of Tilak Nagar.Police also raised awareness through meetings and campaigns, aided by 38 corporate volunteers, across malls and business hubs in the city.