The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Despite ban, gelatine is freely available in Andhra Pradesh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 05, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Despite ban, gelatine is freely available in Andhra Pradesh

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MAY 4. The ban on the sale and use of gelatine all over the country seems to have had no impact in Andhra Pradesh, where it continues to be a much-preferred explosive used for stone quarrying, blasting of rocks in agricultural wells and in construction activity.

The comprehensive ban on the Class Three Nitro-Glycerine (NG)-based explosive was notified in the Government of India Gazette on January 21, 2004 stipulating that manufacture, transportation, storage, sale and use of NG-based explosives was an offence from April 1, 2004. Despite this, gelatine continues to be freely available, albeit on the sly.

Though the bulk users — the Singareni Collieries Company Limited required more than 2000 MT of gelatine every month for mining of coal — and the cement factory units switched over to the slurry type of explosives, the use of gelatine by small time operators continues unchecked.

Enquiries conducted by The Hindu correspondents in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Nalgonda, Visakhapatnam, Guntur and Anantapur districts reveal that gelatine was freely available in most of the places, while in some districts procuring it had become slightly difficult.

One reason why officials are unable to check the use of gelatine is that it is indispensable for farmers who mostly depend on well irrigation. Usually farmers engage rock-cutters who use gelatine at a minimum cost to blast rocks while digging wells. Farmers have become so dependent on gelatine that they use it even for deepening of wells.

The slurry explosives have not become popular because of the cost and the belief that its shelf life is too short. Experts say that gelatine retains its character even if it is buried for a long time (a reason why the People's War group prefers it), while the slurry explosives become ineffective if not mixed in correct proportions.

In Anantapur, gelatine trade continues to be lucrative with the traders smuggling it from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. According to conservative estimates, the explosives trade turnover would be around Rs. 20 lakhs to Rs. 50 lakhs in a month. In Nizamabad district, Perkit town in Armoor mandal has become a trade centre. Police say that traders in Perkit get supplies from their contacts in Siddipet town of Medak district. The large number of stone crushing units in Nizamabad necessitates the use of gelatine and the trade thrives. In Karimnagar district too, gelatine sticks are sold clandestinely at many places.

"Generally a farmer would prefer to spend about Rs. 5,000 to deepen an irrigation well by using gelatine, rather than spending Rs. 30,000 for sinking a borewell," M. Venkat Reddy, a farmer of Bejjanki told The Hindu correspondent in Karimnagar. Enquiries in other districts reveal that gelatine has been available but is sold only to known persons.

Gelatine is most favoured by the PW naxalites who have mastered the making of Improvised Explosive Devices. In 2000, they used landmines to blow up the vehicle of the former Home Minister, A. Madhava Reddy, killing him on the spot. They used more than 200 kg of gelatine stuffed in camouflaged claymore mines in the abortive attempt on the life of the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, on October 1, 2003.

Probably, it was this attack which prompted the Centre to impose a comprehensive ban on gelatine all over the country. In fact, the Government was earlier planning to phase out its use. It had issued a notification on February 19, 2001 asking the NG explosives manufacturing units to close down in a phased manner.

The notification had stipulated that the use of gelatine had to be phased out by 50 per cent between April 2002 and March 2004 and by another 20 per cent between April 2004 and March 2006. It was to be phased out completely by April 2006. But the attack on Mr. Naidu seems to have made the Centre issue the total ban vide notification number GSR 59E dated January 21, 2004.

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