An anti-landmine vehicle made at the Indian Ordnance Factory in Andhra Pradesh. A similar vehicle was blown apart by a Naxalite blast in Chhattisgarh recently. Telegraph file picture

Jamshedpur, Sept. 12: The state government has sent a new set of recommendations to the Indian Ordnance Factory at Medak in Andhra Pradesh for making changes in manufacturing anti-landmine vehicles.

The move comes in the wake of a landmine blast triggered by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh, which took the lives of 24 people, including 22 Central Reserve Police Force personnel on September 3. The jawans were travelling in an anti-landmine vehicle that was ripped apart by a powerful landmine explosion.

?We want that the technology used by the Israel government in making anti-landmine vehicles be used in our country, too. In Israel, all anti-landmine vehicles are fitted with sensors, a gadget that can forewarn from a distance if landmines or other explosives are hidden underground. The use of such gadgets can help the users of anti-landmine vehicles to detect concealed explosives during combing operations,? deputy inspector-general of police (provisions and modernisation) Satyanarayan Pradhan informed The Telegraph. Pradhan also said that the state police have recommended for using thicker iron sheets for manufacturing such vehicles, extensively used in difficult terrain infested by rebels. ?We want that these anti-landmine vehicles be more sturdy to withstand all types of explosions. It is only possible when thick iron sheets are used to manufacture it,? the deputy inspector-general of police (provisions and modernisation) added.

After the Chhattisgarh incident early this month, a state police team, led by special branch superintendent of police (security) Anurag Gupta was sent to Chhattisgarh to assess why so many security personnel died despite they being travelling in an anti-landmine vehicle.

The Union home ministry used to grant funds to the state for purchasing anti-landmine vehicles -- each costing about Rs 65 lakh. Over 18 of the 22 districts of the state are plagued with the problem of the Naxalites. ?Even experts from the Medak factory had been to Chhattisgarh after the blast. They are also studying how to make the vehicles stronger and truly anti-landmine,? Pradhan said.

According to the experts, the present anti-landmine vehicle could sustain a blast caused by 40-50 kg of landmine explosives. In Garhwa district, the police have already recovered 40 kg of landmine in forms of gelatine, splinters and other explosives.

Police sources said the lower portion of the anti-landmine vehicle is designed in a triangular shape, which prevents the splinters to spread to different directions outside the vehicle causing minimum damage to the vehicle.

Besides, very thick iron sheets are being used in the main body of the vehicle.