The Ordnance Factory Bhandara in Maharashtra produces explosives used to propel a projectile and is described as critical to the "present and future needs of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and MHA," as per a document of Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) accessed by DNA.
The only ordnance factory in the country which produces explosive propellants for weapon systems (including Bofors, Howitzer and T-90 tanks), called Single Base Propellant (SBP), is on the verge of collapse.
The Ordnance Factory Bhandara in Maharashtra produces explosives used to propel a projectile and is described as critical to the "present and future needs of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and MHA," as per a document of Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) accessed by DNA. "Any unforeseen incident will cause a grinding halt to the production, impacting vital and strategic ammunition required by the armed forces," the document further states.
SBP factory falls under the jurisdiction of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), Ministry of Defence. It is almost 'depleted', the machines are old and wearing out — impacting India's self-sufficiency in critical ammunition capacity. OFB documents warn that "any untoward incident will lead to complete collapse of production."
The current requirement of Single Base Propellant is 780 MT annually, but the ordnance factory in Bhandara can hardly produce 400 MT. This shortfall pushes India to be an importer of critical ammunition. The revival plan of this critical plant has been tied in red-tape for the past 20 years. "Actually, importer lobbyists are blocking SBP revival plan to protect their financial interests and kickbacks," a source in the ordnance factory said. "We can't rely on imports.
If any war-like situation occurs, then imports may stop and we will face a major crisis," he added.
The revival plan started in 1998 when the Board had initiated procurement action for individual machines, post SBP tender enquiry. "It's not only risky and dangerous for day-to-day functioning, but also critical from a security point of view. Its revival file is pending with the MoD since the past several years," said a former chairman of OFB to DNA, on the condition of anonymity.
In a message appended in a MoD document, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, "Development of India's defence industry is a key element of the 'Make in India' initiative." OFB, the largest departmental undertaking in the country, with headquarters in Kolkata, has said, "OFB has no alternate but to resort to importation."
Emails sent by DNA to concerned Ministry of Defence officials seeking their views on the issue remained unanswered.
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