Lok Sabha Question No. 1424 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-20
Subject: Ammonium Nitrate Reserves
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: Sanjay Kumar Bandi

## Constructions and safety of Ammonium Nitrate Store houses (Provisions of Rule 12 of Ammonium Nitrate Rules, 2012).

- (1)  The licence holder shall at his own expense provide security guards for safe    custody of Ammonium Nitrate stored in a storehouse.
- (2)    For the purposes of sub-rule (1), the security guards shall be of such   strength as the District Authority may consider it to be sufficient.
- (3)    The premises used for manufacture of the Ammonium Nitrate or conversion of the melt into solid form of Ammonium Nitrate or vice versa and the storehouse shall be surrounded by a wall of at least two metres height of such strength and construction as to effectively prevent entry of unauthorised persons.
- (4)    (a) The Ammonium Nitrate storehouse shall maintain;
5. (i)  for storage not exceeding 30 MT, Safety Distance of 4.5 metres from store house to the compound wall and 45 metres from  any protected works;
6. (ii) for storage exceeding 30 MT, Safety Distance of 9 metres from store house to  the compound wall and 90 metres from  any protected works;
7. (b)  the  storehouse  may  be  adjacent  to  the  bagging  unit  of  the  manufacturing, conversion or explosives or nitrous oxide manufacturing plants, but shall observe the provisions of clauses (i) and (ii) of sub-rule (a) of rule 4.

Note: The safety distance shall be measured from the edge of the storehouse.

- (5)  (a) The storehouse shall be;
2. (i)  constructed at ground level without any mezzanine floor, upper floor or any basement;
3. (ii)   with the floor(plinth) level not less than forty  five centimetres from the ground level and well ventilated;
4. (iii)   with at least 23 centimetres thick walls built of brick or stone mortar, or concrete and with roof of RCC or Asbestos or  Fibre or GI sheet;
5. (iv)  with sufficient numbers of doors made of steel of minimum three millimetres thick and opening outwards;
6. (b)  Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-clause (iii) storehouse of stevedore may be a shed without side walls.
- (6)   Any storehouse used for possession for sale or possession for use of Ammonium Nitrate shall have a floor area not less than one square metre per Metric Tonne of Ammonium Nitrate and the storehouse total holding capacity shall not exceed 5000 MT storage:

Provided that one stack of bagged Ammonium Nitrate shall not exceed 200 MT and a  minimum  clearance  of  two  metres  shall  be  maintained  between  the  adjacent stacks and at least 0.6 metre wide gangway shall be maintained between the stacks and the walls of the storehouse.

Provided further that the maximum stack height shall not exceed 2.5metres from the  floor  level  and  the  same  shall  be  prominently  marked  on  the  walls  of  the storehouse.

- (7) The storehouse shall be protected against lightning as per IS 2309.
- (8)  The storage tank meant for storage of Ammonium Nitrate melt shall be -
3. (i)  constructed of stainless steel  or any other compatible material according to sound engineering practice conforming to a national or international code accepted by the Chief Controller and adequately insulated and supported so as to ensure safety and stability during loading and unloading of Ammonium Nitrate melt into or from such storage tank;
4. (ii) with a secondary containment in the form of dyke enclosure made of cement concrete and its holding capacity shall not be less than the capacity of the largest tank situated within such enclosure;
5. (iii) observing Safety Distance of 4.5 metres within the compound wall and plant   facilities and 45 metres from any protected works;
6. (iv)  with single storage tank capacity not exceeding 200MT; and
7. (v)  provided with a suitable hard stand adjacent to it for loading and unloading and such a hard stand shall be located so that its centre maintains a minimum safety distance of 4.5metres all around.

## CONDITIONS OF LICENCE IN FORM P-3

(Licence to Possess for sale or use of  Ammonium Nitrate  from a store house)

- (1) The Ammonium Nitrate shall be possessed only in the licensed storehouse or melt storage tank shown in the approved plan attached with the licence.
- (2) The quantity of Ammonium Nitrate in the premises or any part thereof shall not exceed at any one time the quantity for which licence has been issued.
- (3) Spilled or sweepings of Ammonium Nitrate the waste Ammonium Nitrate collected from sweeping or spilled shall be destroyed by the licence holder and account thereof shall be maintained indicating the quantity of the Ammonium Nitrate destroyed.
- (4)  The  licence  holder  and every  person  employed  shall  take  all  due  precautions for prevention of accidents by fire or explosion in the licensed premises and for preventing unauthorized person from having access to licensed premises and shall abstain from any act from whatsoever which tends to cause or explosion and is not reasonably necessary for the purpose of works related thereto.
- (5)  No additions and alterations shall be carried out in the licensed premises without a previous sanction in writing of the Licensing Authority. Such additions and alterations so sanctioned shall be shown in the amended plan attached to the licence.
- (6)  The licence holder shall appoint a competent person to supervise the manufacturing, conversion process and the operations shall  be conducted under the supervision of the competent person.

- (7)   Free access to the Licensed premises shall be given at all reasonable times to any inspecting  or  sampling  officer  and  all  facilities  shall  be  offered  to  the  officer  for ascertaining that the provisions of the Act and these rules and the safety conditions are duly observed.
- (8) If the Licence Issuing authority or the inspecting officer informs in writing, the holder of the licence to execute any repairs or to make any additions or alterations to the licensed premises or carry out recommendations, which are in the opinion of such authority may pose unacceptable risk and therefore the same is necessary for the safety or security of  the premises or persons, the holder of the licence shall execute the  recommendations  and  report  compliance  within  the  period  specified  by  such authority.
- (9)  Accidents by fire or explosion and losses, shortage or theft of Ammonium Nitrate shall be immediately reported to the nearest police station and the District Authority.
- (10) Licence holder shall maintain records in the prescribed forms specified in Schedule I Part 3 to ensure accountability, identification and traceability of Ammonium Nitrate and shall produce such records on demand to authority specified in rule 49.
- (11)  The  licence  holder  shall  submit  monthly  returns  of  AN  received,  sold  /used  and destroyed in the form prescribed in Form R-9 of Part 3 of Schedule II so as to reach Licensing Authority and District Authority within 10th day of every succeeding month.

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