AHMEDABAD: Gujarat’s border regions entered a second consecutive day of blackouts on Thursday following renewed drone sightings near Kutch, deepening security concerns along the Indo-Pak border.A total of 24 villages across Kutch and Banaskantha remained without power as authorities extended the shutdown enforced after Wednesday’s drone scare. The blackout has now also impacted villages in parts of Patan district, particularly in the Santalpur taluka, officials confirmed.On Wednesday, three drones were shot down while attempting to breach Indian airspace in the Kutch region, prompting an immediate ramp-up in security protocols. Sources have now indicated that drones were once again sighted along the Kutch border, heightening alert levels.Mamlatdar Ajit Singh Chauhan, who is in charge of Palanpur city in Banaskantha district, told local media, “The Banaskantha district administration is fully equipped to handle the tense situation between India and Pakistan. The district control room is operating 24 hours a day, and control rooms have also been set up at the taluka level. If any untoward incident occurs, the administration will take immediate action.”In a high-level review meeting held at the State Emergency Operation Centre in Gandhinagar today, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced a series of sweeping measures in response to the escalating tensions. The meeting was convened on 9 May, 2025.Following the meeting, the Chief Minister posted on X that all leaves of government employees across departments, boards, corporations, panchayats, municipal bodies, and grant-in-aid institutions have been cancelled with immediate effect. Officers and employees currently on leave have been instructed to return to duty without delay, and strict directions have been issued against leaving headquarters without prior approval.The state government has also imposed a complete ban on the use of firecrackers and drones at all events and public functions until 15 May, as part of broader efforts to ensure public safety.
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