Gelatin sticks: Where they are used, how the explosives are procured

Gelatin sticks are cheap explosive materials used by industries for the purpose of mining and construction related work, like building structures, roads, rails and tunnels etc. They cannot be used without a detonator.

The recovery of 20 Gelatin sticks from an abandoned vehicle parked outside Antilla, the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, has sparked off a major political upheaval in Maharashtra. The Indian Express explains the importance of Gelatin, where it is used and the rules laid down for its procurement.

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What are gelatin sticks?

Gelatin sticks are cheap explosive materials used by industries for the purpose of mining and construction related work, like building structures, roads, rails and tunnels etc. They cannot be used without a detonator.

Which government body regulates the use of explosive materials, including gelatin sticks?

The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO), formerly known as Department of Explosives, since its inception on September 5, 1898 has been a nodal agency for regulating safety of hazardous substances such as explosives, compressed gas and petroleum. These substances include Gelatin sticks.

As per PESO’s website, the body looks after the approval, grant, amendment and renewal etc. of various licenses and permits regarding manufacture, testing, authorisation, storage, transportation, use, import, and export of explosives. The PESO comes under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and carries out administration work of the Explosive Act 1884 and Explosives Rules 2008.

Can gelatin sticks be procured easily, and how do they get leaked to anti-social elements?

A common man cannot procure gelatin sticks as you need a prior license from the central government to manufacture, sell or buy the same. However, there are several cases where gelatin sticks have been used to execute bomb blasts.

According to police sources, detonators are priced at Rs 1,600 per box of 200 pieces, and gelatin sticks are priced at Rs 1,600 per box of 180 pieces. Licensed private companies may not make use of all the gelatin sticks they have bought, and may sell it to black marketers who purchase them for Rs 3,000 per box of detonators and Rs 4,500 per box of gelatin sticks. In turn, these are sold to customers for Rs 6,000 and Rs 10,000, respectively. These customers may be small time contractors who illegally undertake any type of construction work, or private individuals who need it to build infrastructure, like wells.

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Have Gelatin sticks been used for terror attacks and what needs to be done to ensure they are not misused for terror activities?

Between 2002 and 2003, Gelatin sticks were used in attacks by a terror organisation called the Gujarat Muslim Revenge Force in Mumbai. The terrorists, in one of the cases, had sourced the explosives from a quarry on the outskirts of Hyderabad, said a former chief of Anti-Terrorism Squad in Maharashtra.

“Even if the gelatin sticks are barcoded, unlike now, they are of no use once the blast takes place. Hence, to avoid any such incident, very close monitoring of manufactures and sellers is required. Every year, before an important event like Republic Day or Ganpati festival, the local police keep tabs on all explosive materials bought in a city and ensure they are accounted for. The buyer and seller have to maintain records of the explosives, and these records need to be checked periodically without fail by government authorities,” the official said.

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