Mohali District Upgrades Air Raid Siren Network Amid Security Concerns
In response to growing security concerns, the Mohali district administration began upgrading its air raid alert infrastructure on Friday, with new sirens being installed in key areas such as Kharar, Zirakpur, and Dera Bassi.
A total of 30 new sirens have been requisitioned for Kharar, and 20 for Zirakpur and Dera Bassi. The move comes after residents reported that existing sirens were largely inaudible, especially in densely populated areas like Mohali city, Kharar, Gharuan, and Zirakpur.
Mohali Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal stated, “We are comprehensively augmenting the early warning system. Some of the new sirens have a range of up to 15 km. The orders were placed yesterday, and we expect installation to be completed by this evening.”
Currently, only 10 limited-range sirens are operational in Zirakpur and Dera Bassi. Officials declined to disclose the exact number of functioning sirens in Mohali and Kharar but confirmed that the network is being significantly reinforced today.
Most of the new sirens are being installed at municipal offices, block development and panchayat offices (BDPOs), and other government buildings in Dera Bassi. In Kharar, sirens and loudspeakers are also being placed at gurdwaras and other religious institutions. Officials noted that rosters are being prepared to ensure the alert systems are manned in shifts for uninterrupted functionality.
Authorities believe the ineffectiveness of the existing sirens is due to high population density, which muffles the sound. “Probably due to the high population density in these areas, existing sirens were not effective,” an official explained.
However, the administration acknowledged limitations in the current system. Sirens are being operated in isolation, without an integrated network across subdivisions. “As of now, there is no integrated mechanism,” an official admitted, noting that synchronisation across subdivisions remains a technical challenge.
Leave A Comment