A year after Operation Sindoor, the UT Administration has invested over Rs 1.61 crore in a multi-pronged civil defence and disaster preparedness overhaul — spanning air raid warning systems, satellite communication, a modernised war room and a trained volunteer corps — to ensure the city is battle-ready for any terror strike, emergency or exigency.
“Pakistan targeted Punjab and Chandigarh like no other part of the country during Operation Sindoor. The sheer number of missiles and drones aimed at this side showed their intent. Golden Temple, Amritsar, border districts, airports, IAF bases and other vital installations were all on their radar,” Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria told The Tribune in an exclusive interview, which coincided with the first anniversary of the operation.
Kataria said: “There was a time when Pakistan carried out provocations and India would respond with letters and condemnations. That era is over.”
Asserting that “it is a ceasefire in operation, not the end of Operation Sindoor”, the Governor said Chandigarh’s preparedness had only deepened over the past year. “We are more alert, more self-reliant and more capable of responding to any future provocation,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav, who also serves as Director and Controller, Civil Defence, Chandigarh, said the Administration had moved swiftly to translate the lessons of Operation Sindoor into concrete, on-ground capability. “Every element of this preparedness drive is designed to ensure zero response time and maximum public safety in any future emergency,” Yadav told The Tribune.
The preparedness blueprint
The Administration has rolled out six major projects at a combined cost of approximately Rs 1.61 crore, with an additional electronic air raid warning system procurement of Rs 40 lakh under process.
Civil defence volunteer (CDV) force — Rs 40 lakh: The cornerstone of the UT’s people-centred preparedness is a 419-strong CDV corps enrolled through a structured, police-verified screening process under the Civil Defence Act, 1968. An additional 309 Aapda Mitra volunteers bolster the emergency response base, taking the total trained volunteer strength to 728. All CDVs underwent a rigorous six-day residential training programme at Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration, with hands-on instruction from the Fire and Emergency Services, the Health Department, NDRF and Western Command of the Indian Army, covering physical drills, rescue techniques, first aid, fire safety, crowd management and emergency response simulations.
Emergency operations centre upgrade — Rs 50 lakh: The State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), the nerve centre for all disaster and emergency coordination in Chandigarh, has been comprehensively upgraded and renovated at a cost of Rs 50 lakh. The revamped centre now features modern workstations, a dedicated conference and coordination room, digital display systems and enhanced communication and monitoring infrastructure. The centre is tasked with real-time emergency monitoring, alert dissemination, situation reporting and inter-departmental coordination. Linking of the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) with the centre is underway for seamless emergency response.
Satellite phones — Rs 17.27 lakh: Sixteen satellite phones have been procured at a cost of Rs 17,27,520 and deployed with key officials and critical response departments, ensuring uninterrupted communication during disasters when conventional telecom networks fail. Five dedicated hotlines and one VSAT communication system have been installed to establish direct, backup communication channels between key departments and field agencies.
Air raid warning systems — Rs 54 lakh: In a significant war-preparedness step, 41 manual sirens are already installed across the UT — 20 of these procured by the Police Department at Rs 14 lakh. The Administration is additionally procuring an advanced electronic air raid warning system at approximately Rs 40 lakh, to be centrally operated via the SEOC, for instant public alerting during any air raid or hostile emergency. Chandigarh is also implementing the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)-based nationwide alerting system developed under the National Disaster Management Authority, which will transmit emergency alerts instantly across all telecom networks from 2G to 5G — and future 6G — ensuring last-mile warning delivery to every citizen.
Honorarium sought for volunteers
Even as the Administration commemorates one year of civil defence volunteerism, it has written to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs seeking approval to pay its CDV corps a daily duty allowance of Rs 646 and a conveyance allowance of Rs 40 per volunteer per day for days on which volunteers are officially deployed for emergency response, field exercises and mock drills. The proposal, which awaits MHA concurrence, notes that current allowance rates are “inadequate to meet even basic daily requirements” and “may adversely impact motivation, enrolment and sustained participation of volunteers”.
To mark the first anniversary of civil defence volunteerism in Chandigarh, Governor Kataria will on Friday launch a fresh volunteer enrolment drive and release a commemorative coffee table book documenting the journey of the CDV corps over the past year.
