Ammonium Nitrate and Delhi Blasts

I do not understand the uncalled for confidence that, we, by issue of order or making a severe law can make some event stop. Somehow our respected IAS and many intellectuals think that it is lack of a law that allows bad things to happen. Typically delay in issue of rules is being pointed out for some one to keep a watch on ammonium nitrate.

The moment it is declared as an explosive...what other rules one needs to act? The rules applicable to explosives all of us know. They are there. Why again wait for issue of fresh rules

A District Collector does not need any new rules specially for Ammonium Nitrate because it is an explosive of a particular class under the explosive act. All the existing rules kick in.

The district collectors and the explosive inspectors merely give this kind of excuse to avoid accountability.

Even carriage by ship in to Vizag in huge quantities becomes a case of violating the ACt, under the existing Act and rules available for explosives mutatis mutandis for Ammonium Nitrate.

How practical is to implement this rule and why the government hesitated to declare the Ammonium Nitrate as an explosive must be understood.

A widely used substance for normal civil use, suddenly being declared as an explosive, has quite a handful of practical implementation problems for the administrators.

Terrorists have used many a commonly used substances to create explosives and internet does give the methods.

With high level of construction activities, explosives and use of the Ammonium Nitrate to enhance at reduced cost the effect a gelatin, is prevalent. The administrators turn a blind eye routinely for this activity.

The problem with us is that, we by issuing an instruction or enacting a law, feel as if we have done our bit and sit back, avoiding the emotional guilt.

But the real crux of the problem lies in execution and simply putting laws on statutes do not make any difference.

Machinery, willingness to actually believe and execute honestly the provisions, a responsible civic society who think they are part of the government for delivery of safe and joyous society, a government which is seen to be serving people and not act as super masters, are all necessary components.

But we get uncaring government which at every point of interaction hurts self-esteem of an average citizen, looks uninviting and harsh in approach, and frightens the citizen to submit with payment of extra cash or in kind to facilitate to get his interaction with the government to be a little pleasant and fruitful.

The incompetence of our administration to catch criminals is only matched by the fury with which power of all rules and laws are unleashed against honest and weak citizens who do not fall in line. Abuse is more common than use of the power granted under the law of the land.

In such an environment of corruption gnawing away at the vitals of our systems, a terror strike is certainly the easiest act. No Act or rule can stop it.

But a silver lining of hope still is indicated by a simple common citizen who went to Juhu beach for his morning walk. He found a huge 2000 t ship happily grounded on the beach. He believed in the Police .

He did not presume that may be the ship has officially arrived what with three layers of security protecting Mumbai sea, navy. coast guard, and then coast guard police too all with their sophisticated boats and equipment relentlessly patrol and watch with advanced radars.

As a matter of just abundant precaution, he rang up the police station and woke up a constable, who honestly took the case to superiors and all our security agencies then also woke up to find that the huge ship floated quietly without obstruction from some where in gulf all the way, with no crew but left abandoned because engine room got a little flooded. She was carrying some oil too in tanker.

But it is left to a simple innocent citizen who went for morning walk to discover.

Then what happens? No one cares to explain why all the money we spent and special laws we made for Coast guard did not work.

Why Amminuim nitrate? This ship could have been sent adrift with 5000 kg of RDX and added with sharpenel and ammonium nitrate too-- and Mumbai would have vanished.

We actually are living just because we pray and the terrorists are still compassionate or as incompetent as others, the latter being more likely.

Hare Krishna!