3 yrs on, no lessons learnt

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 20

Today’s blast at the Central Ammunition Depot, Pulgaon, in Wardha district has again pointed that no lessons have been learnt from the May 31, 2016, explosion in which 19 persons, including Army officers, were killed.

Defective anti-tank mines had caused the 2016 blast. A court of inquiry had attributed the cause of the defect to lapses both by manufacturing and quality-control agencies. But even after three years, no accountability has been fixed for the incident.

A total of 19,325 defective anti-tank mines had exploded that day. The defect in the mines was first noticed in February, 2010. In total 1.1 lakh mines were segregated, of which 19,325 had exploded.

The Tuesday blast occurred in the 23 MM ammunition which is to be destroyed by the Ordnance Factory Khamaria. The 23 MM ammunition is in such a bad shape that the Army has, since 2010, stopped using its anti-aircraft guns — the Zu-23 and the Shilka — both of Soviet Union parentage. The ammunition blasted off on its own today. Also, the 40 MM ammunition used in the L-70 guns has seen 30 accidents since 1986.

The CAD in Pulgaon is located about 120 km from Nagpur. It was set up in 1942 during the World War-II. It was the best located depot to logistically support the British war efforts in Southeast Asia. The 700-acre facility is the sole receiver of ammunition from the Ordnance Factory Board.