To enhance awareness among the stakeholders about the range safety, the authorities of the Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at Chandipur here conducted a meeting at Khadupahi School under Tundra panchayat.
About 1,000 villages and fishermen attended, said PXE officials.
“The PXE is about 19km in length(along with sea coast) and 5 km in breadth( inside the sea). During firing, notification alert is issued for around 50 sqkm. "There is always a potential danger since the range is surrounded by human settlements and a major fishing base Balaramgudi is close to the our base we need to aware them, which we have been doing time to time,” said the PXE Director DK Joshi.
The local villagers venture into the prohibited area of the sea during firing to pick up fired empty shells and at time they pick unfired shells , which cause accidents .
In the past too several accidents occurred either during picking shells or netting fish during the firing hours, he added.