NDRF conducts mega mock exercise in Prayagraj to ensure safety for Maha Kumbh 2025

Maha Kumbh Mela 2025: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) participated in a mega mock exercise with Prayagraj Mela Authority and other agencies under the aegis of Uttar Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority in Prayagraj on Saturday to ensure a grand, safe and successful organization of Maha Kumbh 2025 and to deal with any emergency, NDRF said in a press release.

The aim of this exercise was to establish better coordination with the Prayagraj Mela Authority, District Administration, SDRF, Police, Water Police, Fire Department, Health Department, and other important agencies.

All the specialized teams of NDRF (Flood Water Rescue, Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue, and Response Team for Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear Disasters) participated in this mega mock exercise under the guidance of Mohsin Shahidi, Deputy Inspector General (Operations) and Manoj Kumar Sharma, Deputy Inspector General (Nodal Officer NDRF).

During the exercise, possible disaster scenarios were considered in various sectors of the Maha Kumbh Mela area, which included drowning in the river, stampede, devotees falling from the pontoon bridge, capsizing of a passenger boat in the river, fire incident, stampede at the railway station and CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) emergency.

NDRF teams were immediately informed of the emergency response. On reaching the spot, the teams conducted an initial assessment and started mock rescue operations. NDRF teams evacuated the seriously injured using various techniques. Medical agencies provided first aid and sent the victims to the hospital for better medical facilities.

Incident Response System (IRS) guidelines were strictly followed during the entire exercise. After the exercise, all stakeholders, such as civil police, water police, traffic police, fire brigade, SDRF, and medical department, reviewed their actions and reiterated their commitment to future preparedness.

Deputy Inspector General Manoj Kumar Sharma (Nodal Officer NDRF) said, that ensuring security in a huge event like Maha Kumbh is our priority. 20 teams of NDRF have been deployed during Maha Kumbh. NDRF is fully capable of dealing with any kind of disaster and is committed to making Maha Kumbh safe and successful with state-of-the-art relief and rescue equipment.