Post Beirut attack,Customs addresses concern over ammonium nitrate storage in Chennai port

The explosion which happened at Lebanon's capital Beirut has sent shockwaves across the globe after killing 135 people, injuring several others, and creating an unimaginable amount of infrastructure loss. The Lebanese government initially said it was due to fireworks and later it was found that 2,700 kg of ammonium nitrate was stored in the port's warehouse was the reason for the catastrophic explosion. While the shockwaves are still vibrating, reports which came in from the Chennai port suggested that 740 tonnes of ammonium nitrate is been stocked at the Chennai port for over 5 years, since a Tamil Nadu-based fertilizer and chemical company didn't obtain proper clearance for the chemical. 

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'740 tonnes of ammonium nitrate is stored safely'

As soon as the report was out, PMK founder leader Ramadoss raised the issue in a tweet that the ammonium nitrate which is stored in the Chennai port should be cleared safely as the same chemical created havoc at Lebanon recently and requested the governor's intervention. After approaching the customs HQ in Chennai, the officials gave an explanation that it is safe and people need not panic about it.

"740 tonnes of ammonium nitrate is stored safely at a chemical warehouse in Manali in the outskirts of Chennai where there are no buildings or residential areas around," said a top customs official regarding the controversy.

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Officials also say that the chemical is safely stored there for 5 years as the company didn't obtain necessary clearance and chemical experts also have checked the safety standards of the particular warehouse recently. They also added that the process of conducting an e-auction is underway as per the court's order and it will be cleared once the auction is done. Ammonium nitrate is a common industrial chemical used in fertilizer and as a component in mining explosives.

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(Image credits: Associated Press)