Feb 12 2015 : The Times of India (Delhi)
Year of living dangerously: India more unsafe than Syria in 2014
Deeptiman Tiwary
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New Delhi:
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Far away from the war zones of Syria and Afghanistan, it's in India where more bombs are exploding. In 2014, India witnessed 190 IED explosions, putting it just behind Pakistan and Iraq in the list of countries worst affected by bomb blasts.And while VIPs continue to clamour for security , they make only 3% of the target as compared to the general public, which accounts for 54% of the targets. Maoists continue to remain the biggest enemy of the state, executing more than 50% of the blasts, followed by insurgents in the Northeast, accounting for 30% of the explosions.
According to latest data released by National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC), Pakistan witnessed the maximum number of blasts in the world last year with 313 explosions, followed by Iraq which suffered 246 blasts. Af ghanistan with 129 blasts is far behind India. Syria, which has seen pitched battles between ISIS, Kurdish Peshmargas and Nato forces, has seen only 32 blasts.
These five countries together account for almost 85% of the 1,127 blasts across the world.
India, however, has been able to reduce the number of explosions and casualties in 2014. While 2013 saw 99 casu alties in 212 explosions, 75 people lost their lives in 2014.This is in keeping with the trend across the world.
What's worrying is that in 92% of explosions in India high explosives were used, recording an increase of four percentage points over 2013. This indicates the ease with which anti-national elements are able to lay their hands on explosives and electronic detonators. NSG chief JN Choudhu ry blamed it on `less-than satisfactory' control over sale and stocking of explo sives and detonators. “All 190 blasts in India used electron ic detonators. We see a ban on the sale of detonators de sirable, but that's not possi ble. There needs to be some control on sale and secure storage and use of detona tors,“ Choudhry said.
He said, “It seems when licence for use of detonators is given out by district ma gistrates, it is done in a very routine manner with no monitoring of its end use.“
Internally too, India is . witnessing a geographical shift in pattern of blasts.
Jammu & Kashmir, which has witnessed a 30% drop in explosions, is no more among , the top danger areas. Ditto for Manipur which has seen a 45% drop from 66 blasts in 2013 to just 36 in 2014. Conver sely, Chhattisgarh and Jhark hand witnessed an increase of 33% and 50%, respectively , in number of explosions.
According to latest data released by National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC), Pakistan witnessed the maximum number of blasts in the world last year with 313 explosions, followed by Iraq which suffered 246 blasts. Af ghanistan with 129 blasts is far behind India. Syria, which has seen pitched battles between ISIS, Kurdish Peshmargas and Nato forces, has seen only 32 blasts.
These five countries together account for almost 85% of the 1,127 blasts across the world.
India, however, has been able to reduce the number of explosions and casualties in 2014. While 2013 saw 99 casu alties in 212 explosions, 75 people lost their lives in 2014.This is in keeping with the trend across the world.
What's worrying is that in 92% of explosions in India high explosives were used, recording an increase of four percentage points over 2013. This indicates the ease with which anti-national elements are able to lay their hands on explosives and electronic detonators. NSG chief JN Choudhu ry blamed it on `less-than satisfactory' control over sale and stocking of explo sives and detonators. “All 190 blasts in India used electron ic detonators. We see a ban on the sale of detonators de sirable, but that's not possi ble. There needs to be some control on sale and secure storage and use of detona tors,“ Choudhry said.
He said, “It seems when licence for use of detonators is given out by district ma gistrates, it is done in a very routine manner with no monitoring of its end use.“
Internally too, India is . witnessing a geographical shift in pattern of blasts.
Jammu & Kashmir, which has witnessed a 30% drop in explosions, is no more among , the top danger areas. Ditto for Manipur which has seen a 45% drop from 66 blasts in 2013 to just 36 in 2014. Conver sely, Chhattisgarh and Jhark hand witnessed an increase of 33% and 50%, respectively , in number of explosions.
