Chennai (Tamil Nadu): With nearly a third of the over 700-tonne ammonium nitrate stash stored in Chennai being moved to Hyderabad by road on Sunday, City Police Commissioner Mahesh Kumar Agarwal said that the remaining stock would be cleared in the next few days.
Chennai's Ammonium Nitrate stock being cleared in phased manner The first batch clearance of the stock weighing over 200 tonnes was loaded in 10 containers at the Container Freight Station (CFS) here at Manali.
The rest 27 containers which carry the stock of about 500 tonnes will be moved out in the next few days, revealed Chennai City Police Commissioner Mahesh Kumar Agarwal.
Agarwal also urged people not to panic, as the officials were taking all necessary measures.
"Fire and rescue personnel have been posted at the storage location. The locals need not fear. The process of removing the entire storage will be completed within the next three days," he said.
Read:Over 700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate found at Chennai warehouse
"The first 10 containers of ammonium nitrate have left the CFS on Sunday and the balance will be moved over the next two days. All one has to do is to load the containers onto a truck as the ammonium nitrate was imported in containers and impounded by the customs," said a senior customs official.
The clearance is being carried out in a phased manner in order to avoid bunching which will increase the risk en route.
A consignment of 740 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in 37 containers was imported by the Sri Amman Chemicals in 2015 as fertiliser from South Korea. The consignment was seized for anomalies in customs clearance and is under storage for about five years.
The need for removal arose after the 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at the Beirut port in Lebanon exploded last Tuesday, killing over 100 people and injuring thousands.
Following that, concerns were raised about the safety and risk of storage of ammonium nitrate across the ports. The storage in Chennai was flagged and the same was auctioned by the customs officials. Hyderabad's Salvo Explosives and Chemicals has reportedly won the bid in the auction.
Read:740 MTS of chemical stored in Chennai safe, to be e-auctioned: Customs
