Slowly but carefully,Army disposes of live explosives brought with scrap

“None of the bombs have any identifiable markings on them. Anyway,the origin will not change the nature of our operation.

These are dangerous bombs that could be a danger to people in the area. They collectively weigh anywhere between 500 kg and 600 kg and only the Army has the technology to diffuse them,” said Sabharwal. A power station is situated right next to the ICD.

The equipment being used for the purpose of disposing of the explosives are state-of-the-art bomb disposal suits,remote-controlled telescopic manipulators and remote-controlled vehicles,so Army bomb technicians are not exposed to danger,said Satish Warrier,Commanding Officer,201 BD.

“The munition was taken from Tughlakabad to the Tilpat range in Faridabad in a truck in small batches around 3.30 am to reduce the risk. The truck was accompanied by a fire tender and an ambulance,” said Warrier.

While questions have been raised as to why the Army is taking more than a month to dispose of the material,Warrier said the priority was on safety and not speed.

“We have five demolition pits,where we detonate the bombs in a controlled environment. In that effort,we only detonate 12 bombs at a time. Also,because of the heat,it is impossible for bomb technicians to wear the suit as the day progresses. That’s why we switch personnel every 15 minutes,and stop detonations by 9.30 am,” said Warrier.