It was a disaster waiting to happen. For six years,five containers of munition a mix of ammunition and war material weighing nearly 50 tonnes lay dangerously unattended at two dry ports in Dhandri Kalan in Ludhiana. Seized by the Customs Department,the war scrap is part of the same consignment that caused a massive blast at Bhushan Steel Industry in Ghaziabad in 2004. Imported from Gulf countries in the garb of metal scrap by nine firms located in Mandi Gobindgarh and Ludhiana to be recycled into steel,the war scrap has been found to contain mainly mortar bombs,projectiles,grenades,rockets,detonators and artillery shells with no traces of any chemical weapons. The process of its disposal has finally begun with the Army employing sophisticated remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to segregate the war scrap,given the potential hazard involved. Operation Saiyam kick-started on November 10 with 202 Bomb Disposal Company of the Army executing the disposal at a site in Mattiwara Reserve Forest area near Ludhiana. The containers were first transported at night from the Dry Port to the disposal site located 43km away. It was a daunting task due to the potential danger to population residing enroute, said Maj Gen VK Bhatt,Chief Engineer,Western Command,Chandimandir and overall in-charge of the command and control of the operation. The disposal of the scrap has been divided into three phases holding,segregation and demolition. After the ROV has segregated the scrap,the same is shifted to the demolition area where the bomb disposal unit has made safe and secure sites for detonation, said Lt Col Vinod Bhat,Commanding Officer,202 Bomb Disposal Company,who is leading the disposal operations on site. Bulldozers and excavator-loaders are also in use. It has taken the bomb disposal unit a few months to prepare for the operation and the work group comprises two officers,three Junior Commissioned Officers and 35 other ranks. The villages near the area Shekonwal,Kalewal and Haider Nagar have had to be evacuated. The total number of munitions is approximately 17,000. Given the enormity,we dont want to take a chance. The police and the civil administration have been roped in to cordon off the area every day, said the Commanding Officer. So far,875 munitions have been destroyed. Its a long drawn operation but of immediate importance, said the Chief Engineer. For security and safety aspects,a joint Police and Army Control Centre has been established at the site. The villagers have complained of harassment due to the nature of operation resulting in day to day evacuations. Keeping that in mind,we have made alterations in the timings. Also,from November 24 to 28,there will be no demolitions as there are marriages scheduled in these villages, said Lt Col Bhat. The Army is hoping to complete Operation Saiyam in a maximum of four months time. The estimated cost of the operation is over Rs 1 crore and it will be recovered from the importers of this consignment. A requisition for the disposal of the munition was first received by the Army from the Punjab Government in June 2004. Since then,the preparations for Operation Saiyam were carried out but it was called off four times. That was mostly because the civil administration failed to seek clearances from the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Environment. Other requirements,such as grant of battle casualty status delayed it further, said Maj Gen Bhatt. With the Punjab and Haryana High Court issuing directives to speed up the process,the first set of demolitions were carried out on November 16 and will continue till the entire scrap has been safely disposed of.
