A Table Top Exercise was held in Kohima to prepare emergency response for the Hornbill Festival 2026.
DIMAPUR — The Department of Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA), conducted a Table Top Exercise (TTX) on the Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) Mock Drill for Hornbill Festival 2026 at the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), Capital Convention Centre, Kohima, on Friday.
According to a press release from the NSDMA, the exercise aimed to strengthen preparedness, coordination, and response mechanisms among various departments and agencies in managing a potential mass casualty incident during the Hornbill Festival, which witnesses large gatherings of visitors and tourists.
The exercise was based on a simulated scenario involving a bomb hoax during the inaugural ceremony at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, followed by a stampede resulting in multiple casualties. The scenario was designed to facilitate discussions on emergency response, casualty management, evacuation, and coordination among the concerned agencies.
Key areas of deliberation included command and control under the Incident Response System (IRS), triage and treatment at the incident site, ambulance deployment, hospital preparedness, VVIP medical arrangements, crowd and scene safety, and communication and media management.
The exercise also examined the roles and responsibilities of various agencies at different levels of care, including the incident site, Kisama Medical Centre, and designated receiving health facilities. Discussions focused on the identification, categorisation, and evacuation of casualties, availability of medical resources, hospital capacity, and coordination between the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC) and the SEOC.
Officials from the Department of Health and Family Welfare, representatives from NSDMA, DDMA Kohima, Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Home Guards, Civil Defence and SDRF, 12th Battalion NDRF, Directorate of Tourism, Chief Medical Officer Kohima, Naga Hospital Authority Kohima, 154 General Hospital, Indian Red Cross Society, and other concerned agencies participated in the exercise.
The discussions also focused on the way forward for the live MCI Mock Drill scheduled for November 20 at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, which will provide an opportunity to test the preparedness, operational arrangements, and inter-agency coordination of the participating departments and response agencies.