So alarming is the problem of stolen explosives from across the country, as reported by The Indian Express over the last two days, and so inadequate the current system of monitoring that the Government has been forced to begin wiping the dust off its list of amendments to the 1983 Explosives Act and looking at finalising the changes over the next three months: from bringing ammonium nitrate on the radar to ensuring inspections every three months and armed escort in sensitive areas.

When and how that will happen is anybody’s guess but a close look at the draft amendments shows that the attempt is to introduce several new provisions to bring Indian regulations in line with international/United Nations standards and factor in the technological advancement in manufacturing.

Home Ministry officials claim that the new law will strengthen the hands of the Nagpur-based Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO), the primary regulator in the sector by beefing up security and licensing systems.

One of the most significant amendments proposed is to bring in ammonium nitrate — the terrorists’ most recent explosive of choice — under the ambit of the law despite the fact that the chemical is not an explosive per se.

In its list of recommendations, obtained by The Indian Express, the Home Ministry has admitted that production of ammonium nitrate cannot come under the 1884 Explosives Act and the 1983 Explosives Rules. However, since the chemical is increasingly a raw material in explosives, all manufacturers should maintain daily computerized records of purchase and use and to “install (a) foolproof mechanism to cross-check the authenticity of the raw material received, consumed and explosives produced and to submit monthly returns of ammonium nitrate procured and used.”

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