Ammonium Nitrate to come under Explosive substance Act?

New Delhi, Jul 17: The Indian Government would impose restraint over the free movement and availablilty of ammonium nitrate that has been used in several terror attacks in India. Infact it might possibly come under the purview of Explosive Substances Act.

Home ministry officials said that a bill to bring ammonium nitrate under the purview of the act is likely to tabled in the parliament during the monsoon session.

The recent Mumbai attack, 2011 revealed that almost one kg of ammonium nitrate was used to carry out the blast at the Opera House, 400-600 grams used in Zaveri Bazaar and 200 grams in Dadar. Apart from the 13/7 explosion, ammonium nitrate has been a preferred chemical of the terrorists in dozens of blasts across India. Its easy availability and high potency when mixed with reactive agents like TNT or fuel oil has caused many hundreds of deaths since their first reported use when a series of low intensity blasts rocked Delhi in 1997 and 1998.

It was also used in the serial blasts in court complexes of UP in November 2007, high intensity blasts in Jaipur, Delhi, Bangalore and Ahmedabad between 2005 and 2008. And the Varanasi's Sheetla Ghat blast in 2010 used ammonium nitrate as well.

At present, ammonium nitrate does not come under the purview of Explosive Substances Act as it is widely used in fertilisers and any ban on it may result in adverse effect on farming.

Some suggestions have already been given to states to check use and trading of ammonium nitrate to ensure that it does not land into wrong hands.

OneIndia News