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The Army has decided to upgrade existing archaic infrastructure in 16 major ammunition depots to meet increased threat perception and avoid devastating fires like the one in 2016 that snuffed out the lives of 17 personnel, besides reducing to ash tonnes of ammunition and other items.
The Army is now scouting for upgradation of security and firefighting infrastructure in ammunition depots at 20 locations and has floated broad details of what they want from the indigenous industry to prepare separate requests for proposals (RsFPs) for project implementation and project management consultancy.
Two requests
The two requests for information (RFI) released on April 26 seek to identify potential vendors for implementation of project, said the Army. The Directorate General of Ordnance Services wants to implement the project under buy (Indian-IDDM) category with minimum of 50 % Indian content, said the RFIs.
“There is a need to acquire force multipliers in terms of modern security and FF (fire fighting) systems, which would not only be economical in terms of resources but also be potent to ward off any threat,” said the RFI.
According to the Army, the 20 ammunition depot locations where the security and firefighting infrastructure is proposed to be upgraded together occupy 20,392 acres. The equipment required for mordernisation of the ordnance depots includes surveillance, lighting, and public address systems, as well as cabling, security network, fire alarm, command and control centre and civil infrastructure and allied services.
According to the broad details of the proposed procurement worked out, the Army wants intrusion detection through thermal cameras of different specifications, which should generate alarms at central locations and focus cameras and perimeter lighting on the intrusion site.
It also wants the access control system to keep a digital record of the patrolling parties and feed the collected data into the workstation. Check points may consist of magnetic strips radio frequency identification systems or optical barcodes, the RFI desired.
A safety and security vehicle that increases response capabilities as a mobile operational unit is also proposed by the RFI. This vehicle fitted with GPS, Portable Video camera, Siren with PA system, Radio communication and fog light and flash light will provide a “look-up and see” capability to cover wide area of security operation, insisted Army.
In May 2016, the Army’s Central Ammunition Depot (CAD) at Pulgaon in Maharashtra was ingulfed in a fire that killed 17 jawans, including two officers, and left another 19 civilians injured. Similarly, the Army ordnance depot at Sewar town, which is about 4 km from Bharatpur in Rajasthan, went up in flames in April 2000, leaving a few dead and destroying expensive gun ammunition.
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