Study picks gaps in preparedness against biological warfare
Small- and medium-sized industries are unwilling to invest in security as CBR threats are essentially perceived as a future problem, a study said
New Delhi: India is facing a serious threat of chemical, biological
and radiological (CBR) attack from terrorist groups but the government
has not shown itself to be determined enough to counter this on a
priority basis, according to a joint study by the Royal United Services
Institute and the Observer Research Foundation.
The report said
the country does not have a dedicated body to deal with such threats.
“The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) forms an important
backbone in responding to CBR incidents, man-made or otherwise, (but)
its focus remains on a post-disaster response,” the study said. NDMA Act
was enacted in 2005 with the Prime Minister as its head.
A file photo of a fungus
Small-
and medium-sized industries are unwilling to invest in security as CBR
threats are essentially perceived as a future problem, the study said.
The
study highlighted 54 incidents, including the release of
hexacyclo-pentadiene that injured 200 people in Kochi in 1985. A fire in
a refinery caused by a gas leak in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, in
1997 claimed 60 lives and injured 31 others. In 2003, the proscribed
Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) killed a woman in Srinagar by
injecting her with cyanide, having accused her of being a police
informer. Islamic militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi attacked five women
with acid for not wearing veils in Srinagar in 2001.
Large
quantities of ammonium nitrate, a key ingredient in making explosives
and meant for Maoists, have been seized, the study said. A dengue
outbreak in Delhi that killed 423 people in 1996 is among the 15
biological incidents listed in the study.
“There is a possibility
that other incidents similar to the LeT cyanide attack have taken place
but have not been tagged as CBR attacks, given the lack of an exclusive
CBR incident reporting mechanism,” it said.
“The lack of a central
database containing updated information on incidents, intelligence or
reports of CBR terrorist attacks, sabotage, material thefts, intentional
misuse or illegal trading has been found as a major lacuna in India’s
current approach,” it said.
National CBR knowledge centres,
including the Defence Research and Development Establishment in Gwalior
and the department of biotech, have been underutilized. There have been
no joint projects on security undertaken by them, according to the
study.
NDMA has been emphasising natural disasters because of
their frequency. “Response from states to NDMA activity on CBR issues is
inadequate,” the study said.
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