Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has issued an urgent direction to verify and confirm within 48 hours that any hazardous and explosive material lying in the warehouses and ports across the country meet the safety and fire standards and does not pose any danger to life and property.
Customs authorities and field formations have been directed to verify and confirm within the stipulated time. The instruction comes just days after the massive blasts in the port of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, killing more than 137 people and injuring over 5,000.
According to Lebanese officials, the blast occurred due to a large quantity of poorly stored ammonium nitrate.
CBIC said in a tweet on Thursday said: “This precautionary step has been taken in view of the recent incident of an explosion in a foreign country caused by such material.”
According to Indian officials in the know, about 740 tonnes of ammonium nitrate seized in 2015 has been found stored at a customs warehouse near Chennai, triggering alarm bells. The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation has been called in for conducting safety checks.
Joint Commissioner of Customs at Chennai said in a statement Thursday that cargo had been seized and stored at container freight station at Manali, 20 kms away from the main city. While the cargo was being kept maintaining all safety standards, e-auction for disposing off the chemical has already been done. “Disposal of the cargo will be done within short period, following safety standards,” the authority said.