Over 500 industries in India (the 12th largest manufacturer of chemicals), have declared their products under the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) Act of which India is a signatory among 188 countries under the UN charter.

The India Chemical Council (ICC) recently organised trainings for two chemical weapons inspectors at Ankleshwar in Bharuch from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) — a UN body to monitor the prohibition of chemical weapons.

Ravi Kapoor, ICC Chairman (Gujarat Chapter), which recently organised the training, said, the helpdesk set up by ICC has helped in creating awareness about the issue of prohibition of usage of chemicals as weapons.

“It is for the first time that India alone has been selected in Asia for imparting training to OPCW representatives under the International Associate Training Program. Earlier, OPCW representatives were trained only in Europe and the US,” said Kapoor, who recently made a presentation at The Hague, where the OPCW headquarters are located.

OPCW representatives Mamadou S. Kebe from Senegal and Jonas F. Mwatseteza from Malawi were deputed for training at a modern chemical plant in Ankleshwar for three weeks in August and September this year.

According to ICC Gujarat Secretary Y P Saxena, Heubach Colour Private Limited in Ankleshwar was chosen to impart the training in identifying Schedule 2 and 3 and Discreet Organic Chemicals (DOC) under the CWC UN treaty with India.

Schedule 2 and 3 consists of chemicals that can be used for weapons, while DOC contains ingredients that can be turned into chemical weapons after enrichment. For example, thiodiglycol, which can be used in the manufacture of mustard agents, is used as a solvent in inks. Heubach Colour Private Limited is a leading pigment manufacturer.

In March 2009, Kalimi Mworia, Director, International Cooperation, OPCW, visited Ankleshwar in Gujarat, which houses the largest chemical estate in Asia, to explore the possibilities of imparting training to the representatives of developing countries in the chemical industry. She visited GNFC, United Phosphorus and Heubach Colour.

60 pc industries in state declare stock
According to Kapoor, who spearheaded the idea of setting up helpdesk for the industries in declaring their chemical products, in March 2009, four helpdesks have been set up by ICC with the help of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.