Pramesh S Jain
The Bellandur police have seized more than 800 kg of gelatin sticks,allegedly stored illegally at a construction site in Bhoganahalli,and booked two persons in connection with the case.
The arrested have been identified as Arun Kumar,owner of private construction company and Jagan,site egineer .
Senior officer told reporters our team have launched a detailed investigation to ascertain the source of the explosives,their intended use and whether other persons were involved.
A preliminary investigations found a large construction project is underway on nearly 25 acres in Bhoganahalli, Bellandur.
A rock formation was found at the site during the construction work,following which gelatin explosives were allegedly brought in to blast and break the rocks.
Officer further said the explosives were being used without the required permission or adequate safety precautions.
Acting on specific information,officers conducted a raid and seized more than 800 kg of gelatin sticks from the premises.
A case has been registered under provisions of the Explosives Act for allegedly possessing and using gelatin explosives without authorisation.
The construction project was reportedly taken up by a private real estate company(Adarsh Developers),with the work contracted to a city based construction company .
Police are examining the role of the company representatives,contractors and workers involved in the blasting operation.
Residents have alleged that blasting was being carried out late at night,sometimes after midnight,causing panic in the locality.
They have also raised concerns over the proximity of a school to the construction site and questioned whether adequate safety measures were in place to protect children and residents.
Residents reportedly approached the Bellandur police several times,alleging that blasting continued despite their complaints.
Following renewed protests from locals,workers were warned against continuing the work without proper safety measures.
We are now investigating how the gelatin sticks were procured and transported to the site,who authorised their use and whether the explosives were stored in violation of safety regulations.
The case also has a previous complaint angle.On July 11,Satish Naik,33,reportedly approached the police alleging that he had been engaged for excavation work at a site and was allegedly pressured to use explosives to break rocks after a large quantity of stone was found at the location.
The complaint reportedly named Arun Kumar,Adarsh, Jagan,Prabhakar and others,alleging that unauthorised explosive materials were being kept at the site and used for blasting.
Police are verifying the allegations made in the earlier complaint as part of the ongoing investigation.
