Indian Army’s scrap munition disposal a learning experience

LUDHIANA - An Indian Army operation - so far its biggest exercise to destroy scrap munitions - is proving to be a great learning platform for defence personnel, who believe the experience would come handy in crisis situations.

“This is just like on-the-job training for our officers. We are learning so many things here. This experience will be useful in any other similar difficult situation,” Lt. Col. Vinod Bhat, commanding officer of the 202 Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU), told IANS about Operation Saiyam.

The operation, which began in Ludhiana district Nov 10, involves the disposal of around 17,000 pieces of scrap ammunition of unknown origin which were imported by Punjab-based steel companies in 2004.

Found at the dry port in Punjab’s industrial hub Ludhiana, around 100 km from Chandigarh, in 2004, the war scrap was probably imported from Gulf countries, defence officials said.

The bomb disposal pits are in the Mattiwara forest area, near which the Indian Army has established its camp. The pits are one km from the camp.

The operation is carried out from 8.30 a.m. to 4.15 p.m daily and is expected to last another two months.

“Four officers from the 201 BDU (based in New Delhi) are also part of this operation,” Bhat said.

“This is so far the country’s biggest disposal of scrap munitions. Around 40 defence officers are involved in this most sensitive operation. We are executing it in coordination with the district administration and the local police,” he added.

Till now, army officers have conducted 52 blasts and destroyed 1,385 pieces of munitions. On an average, six to eight blasts are conducted every day.

However, Bhat said the number of munitions can also go up.

“It is only after a visual inspection are we saying that there are 17,000 pieces of munitions. We have not counted them physically. The number can go up when we take actual stock of the situation in the coming days,” he said.

The officer said the most dangerous are the hand grenades as most of them are without their pins.

“The operation is conducted in phases like transporting the munitions from the dry port to holding pits, then segregating the explosives using a ROV (remote operating vehicle), then taking it to the disposal pit,” Bhat said.

The holding pit has been established around 500 metres from the disposal pit, where the blast takes place.

“This is a very tedious process and consumes a long time. Our officers cannot rush things and they have to be very patient. Therefore, we keep rotating our officers on different jobs so that monotony does not set in,” Bhat pointed out.

Operation Saiyam will cost over Rs.13 million (over $250,000) and the authorities concerned have levied this penalty on the eight Punjab-based private stakeholders who had imported the ammunition.

Though the dangerous scrap was found in 2004, it took nearly six years to start the process of disposing it off.

The defence ministry had given final sanction to start the operation Jan 6, 2009.

“This ammunition, which weighed 50 tonnes, was imported into the country in the garb of metal scrap, finally to be recycled into steel. It was stored in five containers at the dry port located in a populated area in Ludhiana,” said Lt. Col. A. Katoch, also of the 202 BDU.

“It comprises mortar bombs, projectiles, grenades, rockets, detonators, artillery shells of various caliber,” he said.

Two villages — Shekowal and Kalewal — are in close proximity to the demolition site. Every day, at 8.30 a.m., 738 people and 2,500 animals of the villages are evacuated by the local police to nearby gurdwaras and other safe places to avoid any untoward incident.

“Twelve police checkposts have been established in the periphery of the area to make sure that no cattle or human beings enter it during the operational hours,” said Inspector Lahmber Singh, who is heading a 41-member Punjab Police team that has been deployed in the area for the duration of the operation.

“A joint control room with the Indian Army has also been set up,” he added.