Special Blasts Limited
Engaging SBL entity; affected importer and petitioner in the related advisory matter.
← Selected TLGS engagementsResolving a port-policy bottleneck.
SBL / EMWA · National industrial-policy mandate
Resolving a port-policy bottleneck.
A documented policy outcome.
TLGS’s sustained work on ammonium nitrate port-handling restrictions brought together legal analysis, scientific expertise, industry evidence and inter-ministerial engagement. The Ministry’s written amendment now records the removal of the disputed advisory paragraph.
TLGS scope completedDocumented policy outcome17 March 2026
MoPSW removed paragraph 2(v) of the 8 September 2025 advisory.
The mandate & industry represented
Two engaging companies. A wider industry concern.
Completed policy and regulatory advisory for Special Blasts Limited, SBL Energy Limited and affected EMWA members, now documented alongside MoPSW’s 17 March 2026 removal of paragraph 2(v) of its ammonium nitrate port advisory. The engagement addressed an overnight-berthing constraint affecting industrial supply chains.
SBL Energy Limited
Engaging SBL entity within the completed group-level policy and regulatory assignment.
Explosives Manufacturers Welfare Association
EMWA: affected industry members represented in the policy process, connecting the company-level issue with wider industry concerns.
The company engagement and industry representation are distinct: TLGS was engaged through the named SBL entities and represented affected EMWA members. Other participants in a government consultation are not presented as TLGS clients.
The operating obstacleOvernight berthing restrictions and recurring vessel movement between berth and anchorage.
The commercial exposureDelay, demurrage, reduced berth productivity, congestion and input-supply uncertainty.
The documented changeMoPSW removed paragraph 2(v) on 17 March 2026, while reiterating compliance with the rules and guidelines.
TLGS work products & sustained execution
More than a submission. A coordinated resolution effort.
TLGS assembled and maintained the statutory, technical and commercial case over several months. The work connected the company mandate with industry-body participation, specialist advice and the Ministry-level consultation process.
Define the regulatory problem
Reconstruct the Ministry advisory, consequential port directions and the distinction between the disputed restriction and the underlying safety obligations.
Build the legal-policy case
Prepare representations, statutory analysis and a clearly framed request for withdrawal, correction or administrative alignment, supported by the available authorities and records.
Bring expert evidence to the table
Integrate specialist scientific inputs with port-operations and infrastructure experience, so that the issue is examined across law, risk, logistics and commercial consequences.
Represent the industry impact
Translate vessel delays, repeated movements, congestion and demurrage exposure into a wider supply-chain narrative relevant to affected manufacturers and downstream sectors.
Coordinate the Ministry process
Prepare for video, physical and hybrid discussions; align industry participation; organise concise briefs and supplementary submissions for the appropriate public authorities.
Sustain the follow-through
Coordinated meeting documentation, supplementary submissions, industry communication and the follow-through required to complete TLGS’s advisory scope.
Physical, hybrid & video engagement
An issue examined across multiple public authorities.
The process included a MoPSW video consultation, a DPIIT hybrid meeting at Vanijya Bhawan and a subsequent inter-ministerial discussion. The official DPIIT records expressly name TLGS and record its submissions, alongside the views of the technical regulator, the port and other industry stakeholders.
Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways
Director (Ports); Section Officer, Ports Division
Ministry-level video consultation and subsequent inter-ministerial participation on the port advisory.
DPIIT · Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Joint Secretary (Explosives); Director; Under Secretary; Assistant Development Officer
Chairing, convening and documenting the December and January consultations.
Petroleum & Explosives Safety Organisation
Chief Controller of Explosives; Deputy Chief Controller of Explosives
Technical-regulatory participation and statutory-framework inputs.
Ministry of Home Affairs · Department of Border Management
Commandant, Coastal Security
Participation through video conference in the January inter-ministerial meeting.
Paradip Port Authority
Traffic Manager
Port-level operating context and participation through video conference.
Designations relate to participation across the documented meetings, not attendance at every meeting. Participation by an authority is not an endorsement of TLGS, its clients or every submission made.
- 8 September 2025
Original MoPSW advisory
The Ministry issued its advisory for handling ammonium nitrate at Major Ports. Paragraph 2(v) contained the disputed overnight-berthing and anchorage provision.
Official MoPSW advisory · page 1, paragraph 2(v) - September–October 2025
Issue assessment & representation
TLGS examined the September Ministry advisory and consequential port restrictions. The 22 October representation presented the affected industry’s statutory, operational and economic concerns.
TLGS representation and engagement records - 5 December 2025
MoPSW video consultation
A Ministry consultation chaired by the Director (Ports) addressed the export-import advisory issue, with TLGS invited to participate.
Official Ministry meeting notice - 24 December 2025
DPIIT hybrid consultation
A discussion at Vanijya Bhawan, with physical and video participation, brought together TLGS, EMWA, the technical regulator, the port authority and Ministry representatives.
Official DPIIT minutes issued 31 December 2025 - 31 December 2025
The official record & follow-up
DPIIT circulated the December minutes. TLGS acknowledged the record and sought the next inter-ministerial discussion.
Official forwarding letter and TLGS correspondence - 7 January 2026
Inter-ministerial examination
The subsequent DPIIT meeting included ports, industry, technical-regulatory and coastal-security perspectives. The official record names TLGS and records its submissions.
Official DPIIT minutes issued 14 January 2026 - 17 March 2026
Ministry removes paragraph 2(v)
MoPSW’s written amendment removes the specified overnight-berthing and anchorage paragraph from the 8 September 2025 advisory. Paragraph 3 reiterates strict adherence to the applicable rules and guidelines.
Official MoPSW amendment · page 1, operative statement and paragraph 3 - Follow-through
Coordinated execution
Supplementary analysis, industry coordination and institutional follow-through formed part of the completed advisory scope.
TLGS engagement - Completed mandate
TLGS scope completed
TLGS completed its scope of work for the SBL / EMWA policy and regulatory engagement. The official amendment is shown separately as the documented policy outcome.
Completed TLGS scope; official amendment dated 17 March 2026
The people behind the work
Specialist depth. Coordinated institutional execution.
Dr. Rajiv Narang’s specialist contribution and Shri V. P. Agrawal’s infrastructure experience were brought together with TLGS’s legal-policy direction, regulatory coordination and documentation resources.
Dr. Rajiv Narang
Project subject-matter expert · Former Director, CFEES / DRDOScientific and regulatory-risk inputs, review of the technical case and participation in the official DPIIT discussions.
Shri V. P. Agrawal
Senior project advisor · Former CMD, Airports Authority of IndiaInfrastructure-operations, port-productivity and downstream economic perspectives; participation in the Ministry process.
View current TLGS profile →Dr. Karan Garg
TLGS strategic coordinationMandate direction, legal-policy integration and participation in the inter-ministerial discussion.
View current TLGS profile →CA Vinod Godara
TLGS project coordinationDocumentation, industry coordination and sustained engagement follow-through.
View current TLGS profile →Ms. Urvashi Gupta
TLGS regulatory coordinationInstitutional coordination and virtual participation in the December consultation.
View current TLGS profile →CS Sonal Jain
TLGS documentation & communicationBriefing preparation, meeting coordination, documentation and virtual participation.
View current TLGS profile →Capt. G. S. Rathee
Project special inviteeInstitutional perspective and contribution recorded in TLGS’s project material.
View current TLGS profile →Major Virendra Singh Dhakad (Veteran)
Project strategic & security perspectiveContribution to the project discussion; named in the official December meeting attendance record.
These are historical project contributions, not a new permanent leadership category. The list does not imply that every contributor attended every meeting. Former institutional roles do not imply CFEES, DRDO or other institutional endorsement.
Industry-side participation
Management engagement and an organised industry voice.
TLGS’s engagement records identify management discussions and repeated coordination with the SBL representatives below. Shri Pankaj Aggarwal also appears as an EMWA participant in the official DPIIT records.
Shri Ajay Choudhari
Managing Director, Special Blasts LimitedManagement-level engagement and discussions with TLGS.
Shri Alok Choudhari
Director & Chief Executive Officer, SBL Energy LimitedManagement-level engagement on the industry issue and the mandate.
Shri Ravi Kamra
Then Executive Director / Director, SBL Energy LimitedPrincipal industry-side engagement coordination, technical-policy discussions and follow-up.
Shri Pankaj Aggarwal
Special Blasts Limited representative; EMWA nomineeIndustry coordination and participation recorded in the DPIIT consultation process.
Roles are described in the context of the engagement period. This is not a statement about present-day appointments or a testimonial attributed to any participant.
Outcome & wider significance
Completed advisory scope.
The disputed paragraph removed.
TLGS scope completed
TLGS completed its scope of work for the SBL / EMWA policy and regulatory engagement, bringing together legal-policy analysis, specialist inputs, industry representations, inter-ministerial engagement and sustained follow-through. The Ministry’s subsequent written amendment records the specific policy change sought in relation to the disputed port restriction. On 17 March 2026, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways removed paragraph 2(v) from its advisory of 8 September 2025 on handling ammonium nitrate at Major Ports. The deleted paragraph concerned overnight stay at the jetty by ships carrying more than 5,000 MT and their movement to mid-sea anchorage after the day’s operations.
Official policy decision: 17 March 2026 · Advisory paragraph 2(v).Official documentary record
A specific policy change.
A clear written record.
On 17 March 2026, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways removed paragraph 2(v) from its advisory of 8 September 2025 on handling ammonium nitrate at Major Ports. The deleted paragraph concerned overnight stay at the jetty by ships carrying more than 5,000 MT and their movement to mid-sea anchorage after the day’s operations.
8 September 2025
The original provision
Original advisory · read with the later amendmentParagraph 2(v) introduced the disputed overnight-berthing and anchorage provision. The advisory also reproduced other regulatory provisions and called for strict safety compliance.
Read the official document extracts
Advisory for handling Ammonium Nitrate at Major Ports – Reg.
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (Ports Wing), Government of India
No. PD-26025/12/2020-PD-II/342898
8 September 2025 · 2 pages
Ships laden with Ammonium Nitrate should not be permitted to stay overnight at Jetty with more than 5000 Mt. The AN laden ships may be moved away from port area to mid-sea anchorage after the day’s operation gets over and to resume discharge operations next day again.
Extracts transcribed from the supplied official letter. Quotation typography is normalised; the extracts do not replace the complete document.
17 March 2026
The Ministry’s amendment
Amendment issued · paragraph 2(v) removedFollowing review of the earlier advisory, the Ministry expressly removes the quoted paragraph 2(v). Paragraph 3 separately retains the direction to comply strictly with the applicable rules and guidelines.
Read the official document extracts
Amendment in advisory for handling Ammonium Nitrate at Major Ports – Reg.
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (Ports Wing), Government of India
No. PD-26025/12/2020-PD-II/342898
17 March 2026 · 1 page
The following paragraph is removed from the advisory.
All the Major Port Authorities are advised to strictly adhere to the rules/guidelines by consistently enforcing them in letter and spirit to safeguard the well-being of the public in and around ports and ships, and to proactively mitigate any potential hazards associated with Ammonium Nitrate handling, thereby ensuring the continued safe and secure operation of our port facilities.
Extracts transcribed from the supplied official letter. Quotation typography is normalised; the extracts do not replace the complete document.
What continues to apply
Paragraph 3 of the amendment reiterates strict adherence to the applicable rules and guidelines for safe and secure port operations. The change is the removal of paragraph 2(v) of the advisory, not repeal of the Ammonium Nitrate Rules or removal of the separate storehouse provisions reproduced in the original advisory.
Source: amendment, paragraph 3 ↑The official letters establish the advisory and its amendment. TLGS’s professional contribution is described from its engagement record; the letters are not a completion certificate or an endorsement of TLGS or its clients.
Document dates: 8 September 2025 and 17 March 2026 · Case-study record updated 3 October 2026.
Address the recurring logistics constraint
For the industry issue represented by TLGS, the amendment addresses the advisory paragraph behind recurring vessel shifts and the associated scheduling, berth-productivity and logistics-cost pressures. These are the commercial implications assessed in the engagement, rather than a quantified claim of realised savings.
Keep safety and continuity in the same conversation
The amendment removes a specified paragraph of the advisory while expressly retaining strict rules and guidelines compliance. It is a targeted administrative correction, not a waiver of safety, security or licensing responsibilities.
Look beyond a single importer
TLGS’s analysis connected the issue to coal and mining, power generation, steel, cement and infrastructure projects, presenting the wider economic stakes to the relevant institutional process.
Make industry representation decision-ready
The mandate demonstrates how technical expertise, industry evidence and disciplined representations can support the authorities’ consideration of a systemic operating problem.
Bharat Pulse · Industrial policy
When a port circular becomes an industry-wide policy issue.
The SBL / EMWA case now includes MoPSW’s 17 March 2026 amendment: the removal of a specific port-advisory paragraph, the continuing safety framework and the commercial relevance of a documented policy correction.
Published 13 September 2026 · Updated 3 October 2026 with the official letters · Decision date: 17 March 2026.
Source basis & professional contribution
Completed advisory work. A documented Ministry decision.
Official source record
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (Ports Wing), No. PD-26025/12/2020-PD-II/342898: advisory dated 8 September 2025 and amendment dated 17 March 2026. The relevant extracts are identified by page and paragraph in the official-record section.
Read the two document records ↑TLGS engagement record
TLGS brought together statutory analysis, specialist contributions, industry representations and coordinated institutional engagement within its completed scope.
The official letters establish the advisory and its amendment. TLGS’s professional contribution is described from its engagement record; the letters are not a completion certificate or an endorsement of TLGS or its clients.
For companies & industry bodies
When a common operating problem
requires a coordinated policy response.
Bring the relevant advisory, circular or regulatory issue to TLGS. Our team can assess the evidence, applicable framework and appropriate representation or clarification route.