The government has proposed to include ammonium nitrate under the list of explosives and has suggested to restrict the manufacture,trade,conversion,transport or sale of the chemical without proper authorisation or license. Ammonium nitrate or any combination containing more than 45 per cent of ammonium nitrate by weight,including emulsions,suspensions,shall be deemed to be an explosive within the meaning of the Act, the government said in draft Ammonium Nitrate Rules,2011,circulated on Thursday. The move becomes important in the light of findings in recent blasts the July 13 serials blasts in Mumbai that killed at least 36 people and the September 7 blast outside the Delhi High Court that killed 15 people and injured scores of others that showed the explosives contained either only ammonium nitrate fuel oil mixture or were mixed with RDX. Last week,the Rajasthan High Court had sought explanation from the officials of the Central government as to why there should not be a blanket ban on sale of ammonium nitrate,which can be used for making explosives,in the open market. The direction came during hearing of the bail petition of Abdul Rasheed alias Baniya,who was arrested from Alwar with a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate and had been booked under Explosives Substance Act. Under the draft rules unveiled,the government has clearly stated that chemical compound cant be manufactured at any place other than the place indicated in the license and cant be stored in thickly populated areas. No person can sell,possess or use the chemical without obtaining a license. It cannot be imported and exported without license and will not be imported into the country by sea except through the ports which are approved by the Ministry of Shipping and Transport. People would be prohibited to receive the chemical from any person other that the holder of a license. However,ammonium nitrate will not include those fertilisers from which it cannot be extracted by any physical or chemical process.
