MGNREGA workers unearth artillery shell near Arakkonam

Women workers enrolled under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme found an unexploded artillery cannon shell at Melpakkam village near Arakkonam town in Ranipet.

Police said that a group of NREGA workers were digging an open plot to create a pond under the scheme in the village when they hit a metal object. Immediately, they informed Arakkonam Tahsildar K. Venkatesan, Block Development Officer (BDO) S. Dasaprakash and Arakkonam Town police. “The shell resembles an old, corroded artillery. We have also sought an expert opinion on it. Also, the local police have been directed to check any such explosives in the area,” Ranipet SP Ayman Jamal told The Hindu. 

Initial inquiry revealed that the shell has been completely corroded. It is around three feet in height. After inspecting the spot, revenue officials and police said that the discovered object could be dated back to the British period especially during the World War-II years. Such shells are also used today.

Based on an alert, Ranipet SP Ayman Jamal inspected the shell, which has been kept at the Arms Depot in the district. The district police have requested the Army to assess the shell and dismantle it. A probe is under way.