Accountability breeds Response-Ability : Stephen Covey
An accident took place in the night of 31 May 2016 in Central Ammunition Depot Pulgaon, the largest in India, in which a shed holding about 20,000 defective anti-tank mines packed with 1,34,000 kgs of TNT caught fire and blew up killing 19 men who were fighting the fire.
These mines were lying segregated, classified as having ‘Serious Manufacturing Defect’, hence ab-initio un-repairable since 2010 when they were received from the Ordnance Factory. They were seen to be exuding TNT through the plastic mine bodies which had developed cracks.
This exudation of TNT is extremely sensitive to percussion and high temperatures and is highly flammable. The contamination of TNT with impurities, especially with metals and oxides, can increase the danger. The mines were packed in metal boxes that were lined with plywood. The combination of exuding TNT, wood and metal, stored over prolonged periods, in high temperatures of 25°C to 47°C, made for a lethal combination. This first led to a slow burning, then deflagration and, ultimately, detonation.
- The Pulgaon accident which killed 19 was completely avoidable and shows how various organs of the State pass the buck
- 15,000 to 25,000 tonnes of segregated defective ammunition is held by the Indian Army at any given time
- A soldier is not expected to subject himself to the risk of being killed by defective equipment manufactured by his own government’s unit.
CAG on Cases of Defective Ammunition
The hazards to life and property were repeatedly highlighted to all stakeholders since then, yet nothing was done about it by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), probably because of the huge financial loss in writing off the entire quantities produced. All ammunition depots holding these mines were directed to only segregate them till a methodology was evolved for their repair.
There are supposed to be stringent checks on the manufacture of ammunition. The Directorate General Quality Assurance (DGQA) has traditionally been responsible to carry out complete Quality Assurance and Quality Control. However, from 1984 till 2006, in a phased manner, the responsibilities of the DGQA towards quality have been reduced successively, while simultaneously the OFB has been empowered to carry out these functions.
There are several cases of defective ammunition pending investigation or replacement by the Ordnance Factories leading to holding of almost 15,000 to 25,000 tonnes of segregated ammunition by the Indian Army at any given time. A litany of manufacturing defects covers almost the entire range of ammunition being manufactured by Ordnance Factories as brought out by the Comptroller and Auditor General in 2015:
“Moreover, we observed that the SQAE [Senior Quality Control Establishment] continued to sentence components under RFR [Return for Rectification]. In 71 out of 123 instances during 2008-13, percentage of RFR was as high as 20 to 100 per cent in several types of ammunition…. Some of the reasons for sentencing the components under RFR were (i) leakage of propellant, (ii) driving band (where the shell is fired after filling) not rotating, (iii) improper coating (phosphating), (iv) imperfections in the body of the shell like cavities or excess varnish or dents or forging defects with the shell pitted at places, (v) dimensional deviations such as those in length and height of the shell, tail fin thickness higher than specified, etc… The fact that these components were sentenced as RFR in QA (Quality Assurance) stage, points to gaps in Factory QC (Quality Control) and the SQAE making compromises in its mandate.”
“We noticed in September 2013, that DGOS (Director General Ordnance Services) was pursuing for free replacement of ammunition, worth Rs 814 crore, downgraded within the shelf life, with OFB. DGOS also emphasised that unserviceable ammunition was deteriorating, and was a potential fire risk at various depots….
“... The fact thus remains that the down gradation of ammunition within the shelf life entails loss to the state and the inordinate delay in its free replacement was adversely affecting the operational preparedness of the Army.”
Soldier’s Protection: The State’s Responsibility
Thus the Army was compelled to hold on to unusable and defective anti-tank mines for several years perhaps in the fond hope that the shelf life of these mines would expire in storage itself without incident and then the mines could legitimately be ordered to be demolished as is the case with all stored ammunition for which the shelf life has expired. Earlier too there have been accidents leading to loss of life and serious injuries to personnel handling defective ammunition.
Article 21 of the Constitution of India which guarantees the fundamental right to life is a pillar of our Constitution. It guarantees a citizen doing any occupation a ‘safe working environment.’
That a member of the Armed Forces is incurring the risk that is a part and parcel of his life does not absolve the State of his protection or the government of any liability due to any fault on the part of the State.
When a solider consents to joining the Armed Forces, he certainly consents to be being subject to the risk of being killed or wounded by the enemy but that does not imply that he has consented to have subjected himself to the risk of being killed or injured by defective equipment or ammunition manufactured by his own government’s manufacturing unit.
The MoD (Ministry of Defence) must recognise such accidents as not only being attributable to military service, meriting Special Family Pension to the next of kin but more importantly, meriting Liberalised Family Pension with immediate ex-gratia payment for both military as well as civilian personnel.
Who Will Take the Onus for Acts of Negligence?
Safety of the user being paramount, manufacturing and inspection standards have evolved over the years leading to higher and more stringent controls. These should be meticulously followed.
This tragic and completely avoidable accident is a prime example of how various organs of the State pass on the buck till the user is left holding the can. Unless decision-makers are held accountable for such losses, such occurrences are bound to recur.
Sadly, even now, despite being faced with overwhelming evidence, the MoD continues to chase red herrings. Recently, too, post this horrendous accident, which, apart from the court of inquiry, merited a thorough study on manufacturing defects and quality controls, it is indeed farcical that the MoD instead has ordered a study to look into storage accommodation for ammunition in spite of the fact that explosive store houses are being designed and built as per specifications laid down.
This state of denial by the MoD and turning a blind eye to the twin problems of manufacturing and inadequate quality controls beggars comprehension. The Army would be better served with a study incorporating the users as members looking into these two aspects that have been neatly sidestepped for far too long.
Above all, in keeping with the tenor of the quote at the commencement of this article, it is imperative that the manufacturers be held accountable, for only then can a positive response from them be expected in the raising of safety standards to acceptable levels. It is learnt that the Army has asked the MoD to fix responsibility for the fire and for the deaths.
However, it remains to be seen if heads will roll for this horrendous act of wilful negligence.
(Lt General Gautam Moorthy (Retd) is presently a member of the Armed Forces Tribunal (Kolkata Bench). The opinion expressed above is of the author’s own and The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same. The text of the entire article, first published by the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies may be viewed at https://cenjows.gov.in/pdf/Layout_Whose.pdf).
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