Udaipur Local News: Chirwa Tunnel Mock Drill Exposes Rescue Coordination Gaps, Triggers 20-Minute Traffic Jam

Udaipur, July 22, 2026 | Local Udaipur News: A lack of coordination among the agencies and preparedness of rescue ops teams was exposed when a mock drill was conducted at the Chirwa tunnel on the Udaipur - Nathdwara highway.

The mock drill, conducted on Wednesday June 22 at the Chirwa tunnel, was meant to assess the preparedness for potential landslides, especially during and immediately post monsoon and the related and other road accidents. The exercise simulated a scenario where rocks were falling from the hillside and this led to a collision between two vehicles, that resulted in 4 injuries.

The Mock Drill

The simulated incident—a landslide and a two-vehicle collision—was staged inside the tunnel at 11:15 AM. Upon receiving the alert at 11:22 AM, teams from the NDRF, SDRF, and police arrived at the scene with sirens blaring. Subsequently, at 11:30 AM, victims trapped in the damaged vehicles were extricated using cutters, administered first aid, and transported to the hospital via ambulance. The damaged vehicles were removed and the route cleared by 11:45 AM, after which traffic flow was normalized in the affected lane.

Lack of Coordination

The objective of the mock drill was to test preparedness for rescue operations during a disaster; however, the exercise also exposed several shortcomings regarding coordination and rapid response among the various agencies involved.

The rescue teams from the NDRF and SDRF, police and other rescue agencies were unable to coordinate among each other properly and this was exposed at this drill. The mock drill, which was supposed to begin at 10AM began at 11:15, a delay of 75 minutes. Unfortunately, no senior officer from the district administration came to the site to oversee the rescue operation.

Traffic Jam

This operation led to a traffic jam, that lasted for nearly 20 minutes, even though one lane was opened and the highway was not completely closed.