The chemical, worth Rs 1.80 crore, stored in Chennai was recovered in 2015 from a Tamil Nadu-based importer.
Customs officials on Thursday assuaged concerns related to the storage of nearly 700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate at a container freight station near Tamil Nadu’s capital Chennai. The Centre said that officials had been asked to confirm within 48 hours that the chemicals meet all safety and fire standards. The clarification came amid fears of an explosion similar to the one that occurred on Tuesday in Beirut, Lebanon. The explosion caused 135 deaths and injured around 5,000 people. “CBIC [Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs] has urgently directed Customs and field formations to immediately verify and confirm within 48 hours that any hazardous and explosive material lying in warehouses and ports across the country meets all safety and fire standards and presents no danger to life and property,” the government statement read. “This precautionary step has been taken in view of the recent incident of an explosion in a foreign country caused by such material.
