180 tons of explosive shifts from Chennai to Hyderabad
Correspondent
CHENNAI, August 10 2020 (HS): About 180 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that were stored at a freight station in Manali in Chennai was shifted to a buyer from Hyderabad on Sunday. This development has come soon after news started doing rounds that about 700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that being stored at a freight station in Manali since 2015.
The ammonium nitrate was seized by officials from Sri Amman Chemicals of Karur in 2015 November which was valued at Rs 1.80 crore and was lying in the warehouse since then. Sources said the company has incorrectly declared the chemical as ammonium nitrate of fertilizer grade, on inspection officials found it to be of explosive grade.
Also, it was found that the company did not follow the ammonium nitrate rules of 2012. The seized explosive materials were put at Sattva Hi Tech Container Freight Station in Manali and had been lying there since then. However, the recent blast caused by unsafe stored ammonium nitrate in Beirut has brought attention to this ammonium nitrate storage in Chennai.
Needless to say, many expressed concern over the storage of ammonium nitrate in Chennai as it could cause a blast similar to that in Beirut. It is worth noting that even chief of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) party S Ramadoss expressing concern over the storage of ammonium nitrate said that it must be disposed safely at the earliest.
The measure to dispose has come amidst that circumstance. Officials have conducted an online auction and the chemical was purchased by a company in Hyderabad. The material put in 10 containers was sent off to Hyderabad by customs officers along with city police and fire department personnel. The containers were transported after taking the required precautions, said officials.