THE EXPLOSIVE ACT – 1884

Every country has its own specific legal requirements on the use of explosives. The Indian Explosives Act-1884 regulates the manufacture, possession, use, sale, transport, import and export of explosives in India. The Indian Explosive Act has laid down the general law as to the manufacture and storage of explosives, prescribing the places at which an explosive may be manufactured or kept. It also deals with the licensing and regulating of factories and magazines. Specific rules exist on matters relating to inspection, search and penalties. The Chief Inspector of Explosives in India, under the Department of Explosives of the Ministry of Works, Housing and supply, GOI, is the competent authority to enforce the provisions of the Act and laws framed under it.

Licenses for the handling of explosives are issued by the Chief Inspector of Explosives in India or other offices duly authorized for the purpose, depending on the nature of the use and size of the work. A person desiring to obtain a license shall apply in the prescribed proforma, to the authority empowered to grant such a license. For small projects like deepening of wells, when the quantity of explosives is limited to 50 Kg., the licensing officer is usually the Revenue officer of the District (Collector/ Deputy Commissioner).