Officials of the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), the final authority to approve designs for explosives, now say the best packing option for the ARDE-designed mines is Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) rather than the existing metal containers.
HERML had claimed it was not consulted about the anti-tank mines by the Armament Research and Development Establishment.
An official of the research lab said: “Mines packed in metal containers with a plywood base can be very dangerous. High temperatures and friction can cause an acidic reaction which is exothermic, risking explosion.”
On February 16, 2011, the Controllerate of Quality Assurance (CQA), while studying the issue of TNT leakage attributed it to poor quality of the explosive.
In February 2013, CQA Khadki cautioned that stocking of these mines in “ammunition echelons is adversely affecting the explosive safety and operational preparedness.”
In another communication to the Defence Ministry dated October 16, 2012, the Additional Director of the General Ordnance Services had highlighted that “TNT exudations have been revealed in ant-tank mine 1A ND which could lead to dangerous accidents.”
The CQA had pointed out in May 2012 that the repair of these mines is not feasible because of exudation taking place through TNT filling. Following this Army headquarters also reiterated that no repairs should be carried out and only replacement must be done.
However, the manufacturer, the Ordnance Factory Chanda offered to overhaul them, but this was never done.
After the tragedy at Pulgaon, officials of the factory in a meeting offered to get a repair methodology approved at the earliest.
The weight of the anti-tank mines along with the fuse was another issue. The weight ranged from 6.5 kg to 7.9 kg, much too broad a spectrum, for a military-grade explosive. Such a huge difference in the volume could cause voids in the plastic casing, increasing the chances of TNT leakage.
A senior Army officer said the fire at shed no 192 of the Central Ammunition Depot in Pulgaon was neither due to short-circuit (the shed had no electricity) nor tall elephant grass (as the grass was trimmed to the bare minimum).
He added the sheds in the CAD were built to withstand external impact, which was the reason the other sheds did not catch fire easily.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was briefed about these and other details when he visited the depot.
