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SUMMARY

1. Multitude of questions about the ability of a Central agency to monitor all explosive substances everywhere in the country.
2. PESO has its headquarters in Nagpur and it is responsible for the administration of a host of laws pertaining to the regulation of explosives. These include the Explosives Act, 1884; the Inflammable Substances Act, 1952 and the Explosives Rules, 2008.
3. In 2011, the agency announced plans to computerise its operations but that project still appears to be a work in progress.
4. At the district level, the police and the Collector have access to a portal that features data on the sale of all explosive materials through legal vendors, but a system is yet to be worked out for a real-time tracing and tracking programme.
5. A short-staffed central government body that functions under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
6. A better system should enable a process of decentralisation by allowing States to make their own laws to regulate explosives and have an Explosives Control Bureau, like the Narcotics Control Bureau. Such a step, that will allow the States to take control of what happens in their own backyard, is overdue.
7. After taking licence many laws are broken and this is more prevelant in mining areas.
8. Negligence by District administration as the explosive has been stored in residential areas and no regular monitoring by District admin.
9. PESO has five zones–. For illegal trade , the traders try to avoid the difficult procedure for licence by PESO.
10. Illegal mining is intrinsically linked to illegal storage of explosive.
11. Gelatin has also been used to spread terrorist activities. Naxalites have been found to use Gelatin on large scale in MP, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Chattisgarh.

What is Gelatin?

• Alfred Nobel discovered Dynamite– for making tunnels and roads.
• Gelatin is a Nitrocellulose or Guncotton explosive.
• Very sensitive explosive which is made by breaking into Nitroglycerine or Nitroglycol along with the use of wood.
• To make Gelatin explode, it requires Detonators which as a trigger for explosion. Detonator also increases the strength of explosion.
• Gelatin rods needs to be stored in Gunny bags so that the blast is less intense

Gelatin is used to  

• Level old buildings to ground.
• Explode the hills
• Making roads.
• Mining
• Well Digging

Trade of Explosives

• Regulated under Explosives Act,1884.
• After Amendment in 2008, new provisions have been added.
• Affiliated Licence is required for trade.
• It is necessary to inform administration and police for both transportation and trade.

But official apathy, corruption and collusion has led to this point.

To know more, go here

Explosives Regulatory Framework