The Hindu : New Delhi News : Confusion over origin of lethal scrap

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 13, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Confusion over origin of lethal scrap

By Devesh K. Pandey

NEW DELHI, OCT. 12. The various agencies carrying out separate investigations into the massive recovery of explosives from imported scrap consignments will find it very difficult to trace the origin of the scrap as in most cases they are apparently shipped from the point of origin to a trading hub for reshipping to their final destination.

According to Inland Container Depot (ICD) officials, details about export and import firms along with the ports from where the consignments have originated are normally given in the origin certificate and documents accompanying the containers. However, the papers need not necessarily reflect the places from where the scrap has originally been lifted. In this regard, the only thing the Customs officials are sure about is the mention of the first place of shipment where one-time tamper proof seals are put on the containers.

As happened in the case of consignments meant for Bhushan Steel and Strips in Ghaziabad, where 10 people were killed in a huge explosion about a fortnight ago, the scrap had been exported by Lucky Metals having its offices in Dubai and Mumbai, to a firm named Metco in Mumbai, whereas the containers had been sent from Bundar Abbas port of Iran. Lucky Metals, which raises bills in Dubai, had sent five more containers to the ICD in Tughlakabad here for three other steel units, but this time the certificates of origin said they had been shipped from Jabel Ali and Adis Ababa ports. In fact, scraps gathered from all over West Asia are sent from different ports.

"This reveals that scrap export firms, which are mainly operating from Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore, collect material from different countries and places through their agents and dispatch them from places other than their origin point. There is also a possibility that due to non-availability of shipping ports, they have to be transported to the nearest port for shipment to various destinations. But, it is suspected that several of them are being routed through various countries before being sent to India," said a senior CID official. He said the scrap from which explosives were being recovered in Punjab and Rajasthan had been sent from Yemen and Cameroon.

More so, it is being suspected that several scrap consignments originating from Sri Lanka -- where umpteen empty and unexploded shells are found dumped in the war-zone -- are first shipped to Kuwait and Dubai from where they are re-routed to India. The same is the case with the import of scrap originating from African countries which have been in the grips of civil wars for decades.

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