Year after Quitol blast, govt greenlights 10,000sqm for same firm to store explosives

Panaji: A year after a massive explosion destroyed an ammunition warehouse operated by Hughes Precision Manufacturing Pvt Ltd at Naqueri-Betul, the industries department has proposed declaring a 10,000 sqm land parcel in the same village as an Investment Promotion Area (IPA) for a dedicated storage facility by the company.

The move follows in-principle approval granted by the Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board (IPB) for the storage and manufacture of ammunition for defence forces, law enforcement agencies, and approved international markets.

Under the proposal, powers related to building permissions, taxation, and development control within the notified area would be vested in authorities under the Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation of Single Window Clearance Act, 2021. The local village panchayat had earlier raised concerns over the project, particularly in the wake of serious safety and regulatory incidents involving the company.

In March last year, a fire at the company’s Naqueri warehouse triggered a massive explosion that destroyed more than 14 tonnes of propellant (gunpowder) and caused structural damage to nearby houses. Three months later, in June, another major fire at Hughes Precision Manufacturing’s facility in Verna Industrial Estate gutted stocks of bullets and gunpowder.

The IPB granted in-principle approval for the dedicated propellant storage facility at its 41st meeting on Feb 25this year. Once the 10,000 sqm plot is notified as an IPA, IPB chief executive officer Aswin Chandru will be authorised to issue permissions and collect licence fees for the project.

Hughes Precision Manufacturing, incorporated in 2016, specialises in the manufacture and supply of small-calibre ammunition. On April 12, officials from multiple government departments conducted a joint inspection of the Naqueri site after the company applied to the district collector for reinstatement of the no objection certificate (NOC) required for propellant storage.

Govt has invited objections and suggestions from stakeholders on the proposed IPA declaration and has provided a 30-day period for submissions.