Union Home Secretary RK Singh writes to states to ensure safety of explosives during transit

NEW DELHI: Union Home Secretary RK Singh has written to all the state chief secretaries, asking them to ensure that licensed explosive manufacturers employ armed guards or seek police protection for trucks transporting explosives.

Though the Explosive Rules, 2008 had stipulated that armed police guards must be requisitioned in certain sensitive areas notified by the government when explosives are transported, the licensees have not been complying with the same. This has led to the Central government keeping applications for new licenses for manufacturing explosives in abeyance till the rules were strictly enforced.

As per the ministry's directives, the district police should take over the security of the truck carrying explosives in a sensitive area while the vehicle crosses its jurisdiction and hand over the security of the vehicle to the next district police when its jurisdiction ends. Under the provisions of the Explosive Act, 2008, it is the manufacturer's responsibility to notify the police units of the vehicle's route. The Home Ministry also held a high-level meeting on the issue last week.

The Home Secretary has asked the state police to promptly act on requests for security escorts so that there is zero pilferage and no illegal sale of explosives. A major incident happened in 2010 where over 300 tonnes of explosives went missing after 61 trucks carrying them from a licensed manufacturer in Rajasthan went untraceable. These trucks transporting gelatin sticks and detonators from a licensed factory in Rajasthan to Madhya Pradesh had no guards. Licenses of 90 explosive dealers were later cancelled.