Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 25
The Army has joined hands with the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) to construct underground caverns for storage of ammunition at four locations in the Himalayas.
The services of the NHPC have been sought since it has a huge experience in making dams with underground tunnels in the mountains. The Army’s size of ammunition storage caverns is almost the same strength as what tunnels are made for dams by the NHPC.
These ammunition storage caverns (large caves) will come up at key locations facing China and Pakistan. A range of ammunition used by the Army — bullets, rockets, anti-tank, surface-to-air missiles, etc., can be stored in the caverns.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was been signed today. The underground storage of ammunition provides for better safety; it’s easier to camouflage from enemy observation and roving satellites, besides it’s protected against strikes like those seen during the aerial engagement on February 27 when Pakistan air force jets targeted the army installations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
Major armies, including that of China and the US, already use underground ammunition storage. These storage caverns will be built in high-altitude areas in the northern and eastern borders. Each of these will have storage capacity of 200 metric tonnes.
The Army had earlier tried to make these caverns on its own in Sikkim and Tawang. However, seepage, dampness and other geological challenges hampered the plans. In November last year, the Army approached the NHPC.
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