Punjab News: Blackouts Imposed In Border Districts, Advisories Issued Amid Rising Tensions With Pakistan

Chandigarh: While the armed forces successfully foiled the drones attack by Pakistan Thursday night, the Punjab government enforced blackouts in several bordering districts including Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Muktsar, Bathinda, Ferozepur and Moga and issued advisories asking people to exercise caution in the backdrop of escalating tension with Pakistan.

The power supply was restored only around 5.30 am on Friday in the districts named above.

Punjab: In Mohali, the administration has mandated the closure of all shops and establishments by 8:00 PM amid rising India-Pakistan tensions. Authorities have also directed the shutdown of street advertisement lights and a complete blackout during emergency alerts pic.twitter.com/Tpoj4J7Hrv

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On Friday, the government asked the public and private institutes and establishments to strictly follow the blackout instructions, and ordered all the market places across the state, Chandigarh, as well as parts of Haryana including Panchkula, to shut down from 7 pm the display boards and hoardings of their establishment. The medicine shops were exempted from the order.

The government also repeatedly said that there was no reason to panic and asked people not to indulge in panic buying or stockpiling various essentials.

Meanwhile, the state government deputed 10 ministers to monitor and review the preparedness of all essential services including hospitals and fire stations in the border districts of the state.

CHANDIGARH, PATIALA, AMBALA ON ALERT

Meanwhile, Chandigarh – the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana – Ambala district of Haryana and Punjab’s Patiala were put on alert on Friday after India successfully thwarted Pakistan’s missile-drone attacks.

The said districts which also witnessed long blackouts Thursday night were also asked by the administration to stay indoors and away from the balconies of their residential units.

Notably, air raid sirens were again also sounded in Chandigarh and Patiala districts Friday morning amid rising tension between India and Pakistan and the latter's attack on three military bases, hours ago. Asking people to stay indoors, an official advisory said that an air warning was received from Chandigarh Air Force station of possible attack.

Ambala too has an air base and it was the first time that an alert of a potential aerial threat was sounded in Ambala during the ongoing conflict.

POLICE GHATAK TEAM ON BORDERS

Meanwhile, according to reports, the Punjab police has deployed, in coordination with Border Security Force (BSF), its specialised ``ghatak’’ teams along with 1 additional companies along the 553-km state border with Pakistan – spanning across seven police districts, namely, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar (rural), Batala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Fazilka.