Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 5: Army has put a “fool-proof mechanism’’ in place for its five major and largest ammunition depots spread over all three regions of Jammu and Kashmir following devastating blaze at Pulgaon, Maharashtra ammunition depot in which 16 Army personnel including two officers were killed last week.
Official sources told the Excelsior that though the Army has been conducting regular Security Audits of its major ammunition depots regularly, it has ordered fresh Security Audit of the Depots on June 2, a day after Pulgaon, Maharashtra blaze, which had exposed chinks in safety of the ammunition depots though the fire was controlled immediately.
Sources said Security Audit of the ammunition depots located at Nagrota, Jindrah and Udhampur in Jammu region, Sungru, Srinagar in Kashmir and Leh in Ladakh region has been ordered as they were the major and largest ammunition depots in Jammu and Kashmir, catering to majority of needs of the troops deployed in the State including Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) with Pakistan.
Apart from these major ammunition depots of the Army, there are some other small depots of the troops in the State to cater to the demand of local units.
“After the latest Security Audit ordered on June 2, the Army would take some more steps for safety of the ammunition depots to ensure their fool-proof protection,’’ sources said.
Sources said Arms, Ammunition and Armaments Technical Officers, who were well qualified in protection of ammunition and are also known as Ammunition Quality Officers have been deployed round-the-clock for safety and protection of ammunition depots.
Further, they said, the ammunition in all the major depots has been stocked as per rules and regulations and the set Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which was already in place.
“Even if a single ammunition round is mis-fired during training or otherwise, all such ammunition rounds in all the depots all over the country are segregated for further quality check. This is followed by the visits of Control and Quality Assurance experts,’’ they said, adding that every major ammunition depot has the facilities like temperature control, sprinklers, air conditioners, air control check etc.
Apart from this, every depot has separate Fire Fighting Staff, which, though civilians, operate under the Ministry of Defence. “They are the specially qualified people in the fire fighting operations’’.
Sources said the Fire Fighting Trucks, Static Tanks full of water, and fire extinguishers are also placed at each and every major ammunition depot to make the mechanism more fool-proof.
“The mechanism of regular checking of safety norms at ammunition depots by the outsiders is also in place. Experts from one State examine the safety norms in other States and vice versa,’’ sources said.
Meanwhile, in the wake of major fire at one of Asia’s largest ammunition depot in Maharashtra’s Pulgaon, Defence spokesman Col SD Goswami today said its depots across Jammu and Kashmir are “safe”.
“The Army is sensitive to the issue of safety measures in ammunition depots located in Jammu and Kashmir. Regular safety audits are undertaken to ensure the safety of these depots,” he said.
Col Goswami said that adequate firefighting equipment and measures are in place in all the ammunition depots across Jammu and Kashmir.
“Modern equipment is being regularly procured to upgrade safety measures. Fire services staff is completely rehearsed in their role,” he said.
He said that the Army places the highest priority on safety of civilians living in the vicinity of ammunition depots.
“All measures are being taken to ensure the highest standards of security,” he said.
Col Goswami’s statement comes days after 19 persons, including two Army officers, were killed in a massive fire that broke out at the country’s largest ammunition depot that houses the largest stockpile of weapons in the country.
After the incident, questions were being raised on the security of the ammunition depots across Jammu and Kashmir.
“Some reports have emerged raising questions on deficiency of essential firefighting equipment. These reports are incorrect,” he said.
Army has several ammunition depots in the State and many of them are located in the vicinity of densely populated areas.
In August 2007, three persons were killed and over 40 were wounded when one of the biggest ordnance depots in Kashmir had caught fire in the Khundru village of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
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