An unexploded artillery shell was found near the official residence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in Chandigarh on January 2. Explained here is what kind of artillery shell it was and how this military ammunition found its way into a high-security civilian area. What is an Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)? A military ammunition or explosive device that remains unexploded even after it has been primed and fired is known as Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) in military parlance. Such UXO can be left-overs from a war, a military battle inoculation exercise, field firing exercises or even be part of military scrap that is often exported from one country to another to extract metal. Are such unexploded munitions dangerous? Yes. All unexploded munitions are treated as potentially dangerous and capable of detonating till proven otherwise by professional assessment by military ammunition experts. Whenever such unexploded munition is found by civilians, it is always advised to maintain a safe distance and inform the nearest police or district administration official. The civilian administration is expected to get in touch with the nearest Army station, which will then despatch Army Ordnance Corps personnel, who are ammunition experts and can identify the ordnance and the safest way of disposing it. How do such unexploded munitions reach civilian hands? In most cases in India, unexploded ordnance from military field firing ranges across the country are picked up by locals who wish to make a quick buck by selling them to scrap dealers. The dealers extract metal like copper from them, which is dangerous. There have been instances of scrap pickers and scrap dealers dying when such ammunition explodes. What if unexploded ammunition falls in the wrong hands? Unexploded ordnance such as the artillery shell found near the Punjab CM's residence can always be used as an Improvised Explosive Device by connecting it to an explosive circuit. This is a common use to which such shells are put even in war zones. Since the shell already contains explosives, all that needs to be done is to make it explode. How are such exploded ammunitions disposed off safely? The Army ammunition experts examine the ammunition and make a decision as to whether it will be safe to take the unexploded ordnance to a distant place like a firing range and explode it, or whether it will be better is exploded in situ, with all safety measures in place. This decision is taken considering the volatility of the ammunition and if it can be transported safely.
