Jodhpur: The Rajasthan High Court asked Tuesday the state government to chalk out a plan for the disposal of quintals of seized Ammonium Nitrate. The ammonium nitrate is lying in various police stations and posing the danger of a Beirut-like explosion.
A Jodhpur bench of the Rajasthan High Court gave the direction. It observed that ‘ammonium nitrate’ is a valuable resource and this explosive material should be utilised constructively’.
A bench of Justices Sandeep Mehta and Prabha Sharma intervened into the matter. The bench took suo moto cognisance of news reports. The reports said seizures of ammonium nitrate have resulted in quintals of the explosive substance lying in various police stations. The ammonium nitrate is being stored without any precautionary measures.
One report had claimed that 15,300 kg of the chemical has been lying in a Udaipur police station following a seizure.
The court took a serious note of the report in the wake of a massive explosion in Beirut last month. The explosion was caused by the same explosive chemical and the trail of devastation left behind it.
The bench had earlier issued notices to the Explosive Controller, Rajasthan police chief, additional chief secretary (Home) and Udaipur superintendent of police. The bench had asked them to apprise it of the quantity of seized ammonium nitrate. The bench also wanted details of other explosive substances lying in various police stations across Rajasthan.
The bench had also asked officials to suggest measures to dispose of the explosive materials expeditiously.
However, during the hearing Tuesday, the authorities asked the bench to grant them more time to collect the data. The judges them granted them one more week. It also asked them to chalk out a plan for disposal of the explosive materials by e-auction.
During the day’s hearing, the court’s amicus curies apprised it of various orders of the NGT and Custom authorities for disposal of ammonium nitrate seized in Tamil Nadu. The bench took the amicus’ submission on record and listed the matter for next hearing September 9.
