Kranopol ammo for Indian Army guns proved to be duds

About 3,000 rounds of Russian Krasnopol ammunition, meant for the Army's Bofors 155mm artillery guns and worth Rs 526 crore, have proved to be duds, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said today.The CAG report for 2008-09 tabled in the Rajya Sabha rapped the Defence Ministry for spending such a huge sum "without adhering to procurement norms" that mandated trails before buying the ammunition from KBP Tula of Russia."Thus, procurement of ammunition without adhering to the procurement norms led to unfruitful expenditure of Rs 526 crore. Such procurement of defective quality ammunition adversely impact operational preparedness of the Army," the report said.The ammunition is fired from the 155mm Bofors guns for destruction of enemy armour, high-value mechanised forces and static pinpoint targets, both during offensive and defensive operations.

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