The capital outlay for infrastructure was ignored. We are trying to make up for the last 40 years of neglect. Singh recently allocated Rs 2.8 billion to build storage facilities. But this, experts say, is just a fraction of what is required. So lacking is infrastructure that depots around the country, including the ones at Mirdhwal and Pathankot, store ammunition worth billions in the open, under tarpaulin sheets.
Ammunition is a composite of chemicals and metallic components.
The chemicals, if exposed to rain or high temperature over a period of time, can react with the metal and explode. In summer, for instance, the temperature in western and northern India, which oscillates between 42 and 48 degrees Celsius, is enough to trigger a fire. That's common knowledge. But the army failed to act on it. Its only official response to the Mirdhwal incident was to absolve itself of blame.