At Jabalpur’s Khamaria Ordnance Factory, all long leaves have been cancelled without delay. Deputy Director and Works Manager Avinash Shankar confirmed the move, referring to an order from the Chief General Manager following a Thursday meeting. Any leave request for more than two days now stands revoked.
Shankar added the measure was taken “to meet production targets”.
As reported by ANI, a senior official from the same factory, requesting anonymity, said the order was issued “in view of national security”.
This is not an isolated case. At least seven MIL-run factories have implemented similar measures. Workers at Gun & Shell Factory-Cossipore in Bengal confirmed their leave had been scrapped. “An order was issued on Friday cancelling leaves in the current scenario,” said one employee. An officer in Kolkata commented, “It would be logical if leaves were cancelled given the current situation.”
In Odisha, employees at the Badmal Ordnance Factory in Balangir have been informed that no leave will be permitted for 60 days. The same rules apply at Chandrapur and Itarsi, both major MIL facilities.
MIL on high alert post-attack
A senior official at Munitions India Limited said the company has entered an “alert mode” following the deadly April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, most of them tourists.
“If there is urgency to expedite our production, we should be able to do it... But there is no official decision to cancel leave of employees across the 12 factories,” a senior MIL official told TOI.
Nonetheless, within key units such as Ordnance Factory Chandrapur and OFK in Jabalpur, a hard line has been taken. All 7,000 employees across these units have been told not to apply for extended leave. Any already-approved requests have been withdrawn.
OFK, one of India’s largest military ammunition factories, supplied fuzes for Bofors shells during the Kargil War and produced 1,000-pound bombs used in the Balakot air strike.
Officials at OF-Chandrapur admitted the decision is also driven by production shortfalls in April. They are under pressure to fulfil both domestic and global arms orders.
Unions and officials flag lack of clarity
Despite the widespread implementation, there is confusion about whether an official central order exists. A senior officer from the Department of Defence Production said, “We have not issued any official circular in this regard to ordnance factories. But some PSUs have internally instructed their employees to avoid going on leave due to the current scenario.”
Mukesh Singh, president of Bharatiya Pratiraksha Mazdoor Sangh (BPMS), one of the largest unions of ordnance factory workers, added, “We have come to know from our employees working in MIL that their leave has been cancelled. However, we have not got any official communication from the company as yet.”
In case of emergency, workers have been told they can apply to the “appropriate authorities,” according to Thursday’s order.
Interestingly, the leave cancellation has not been enforced at all units. Bhandara, a Maharashtra-based MIL plant known for producing powerful explosives like RDX and HMX, has not followed suit. Non-MIL factories such as the five Kanpur-based units and Jabalpur’s Gun Carriage Factory — which manufactures the Dhanush 155mm artillery guns — also remain unaffected.
India-Pakistan tensions rise after attack
The backdrop to these domestic shifts is India’s escalating tension with Pakistan following the Pahalgam incident. In response, the Indian government has taken a string of diplomatic and economic actions.
The Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari has been shut. The SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals was suspended, giving them 40 hours to exit India. Both countries also reduced the number of staff at their respective High Commissions.
New Delhi also pulled out of the Indus Waters Treaty, a 1960 agreement that had withstood multiple rounds of bilateral strain.
Trade has been hit hard. India imposed a total ban — direct or indirect — on goods imported from or exported to Pakistan. According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the restriction applies “regardless of their import status.”
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways added, “Ships bearing the Pakistan flag shall not be allowed to visit any Indian port.” Indian-flagged vessels, likewise, are prohibited from docking at any Pakistani port.
The ministry explained the move is aimed at “fostering the development and ensuring the efficient maintenance of an Indian mercantile marine, in a manner best suited to serve the national interests.”
A defence manufacturing network under strain
Munitions India Limited, headquartered in Pune, operates 12 major factories that produce everything from Pinaka rocket launchers to hand grenades and infantry ammunition. These facilities cater to the Indian Army, Air Force, and various export clients.
Their output includes 5.56mm, 7.62mm, and 9mm bullets, tank shells, mortar bombs, and high-explosive charges. With demand climbing — both for national defence and export — the workforce is under pressure to deliver.
As the country responds to the Pahalgam tragedy, MIL’s decision to restrict leaves signals a push to maintain readiness. While the official stance steers clear of direct links to the terror attack, the timing and scope of action reflect the national mood.
(With inputs from TOI)
Shankar added the measure was taken “to meet production targets”.
As reported by ANI, a senior official from the same factory, requesting anonymity, said the order was issued “in view of national security”.
This is not an isolated case. At least seven MIL-run factories have implemented similar measures. Workers at Gun & Shell Factory-Cossipore in Bengal confirmed their leave had been scrapped. “An order was issued on Friday cancelling leaves in the current scenario,” said one employee. An officer in Kolkata commented, “It would be logical if leaves were cancelled given the current situation.”
In Odisha, employees at the Badmal Ordnance Factory in Balangir have been informed that no leave will be permitted for 60 days. The same rules apply at Chandrapur and Itarsi, both major MIL facilities.
MIL on high alert post-attack
A senior official at Munitions India Limited said the company has entered an “alert mode” following the deadly April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, most of them tourists.
“If there is urgency to expedite our production, we should be able to do it... But there is no official decision to cancel leave of employees across the 12 factories,” a senior MIL official told TOI.
Nonetheless, within key units such as Ordnance Factory Chandrapur and OFK in Jabalpur, a hard line has been taken. All 7,000 employees across these units have been told not to apply for extended leave. Any already-approved requests have been withdrawn.
OFK, one of India’s largest military ammunition factories, supplied fuzes for Bofors shells during the Kargil War and produced 1,000-pound bombs used in the Balakot air strike.
Officials at OF-Chandrapur admitted the decision is also driven by production shortfalls in April. They are under pressure to fulfil both domestic and global arms orders.
Unions and officials flag lack of clarity
Despite the widespread implementation, there is confusion about whether an official central order exists. A senior officer from the Department of Defence Production said, “We have not issued any official circular in this regard to ordnance factories. But some PSUs have internally instructed their employees to avoid going on leave due to the current scenario.”
Mukesh Singh, president of Bharatiya Pratiraksha Mazdoor Sangh (BPMS), one of the largest unions of ordnance factory workers, added, “We have come to know from our employees working in MIL that their leave has been cancelled. However, we have not got any official communication from the company as yet.”
In case of emergency, workers have been told they can apply to the “appropriate authorities,” according to Thursday’s order.
Interestingly, the leave cancellation has not been enforced at all units. Bhandara, a Maharashtra-based MIL plant known for producing powerful explosives like RDX and HMX, has not followed suit. Non-MIL factories such as the five Kanpur-based units and Jabalpur’s Gun Carriage Factory — which manufactures the Dhanush 155mm artillery guns — also remain unaffected.
India-Pakistan tensions rise after attack
The backdrop to these domestic shifts is India’s escalating tension with Pakistan following the Pahalgam incident. In response, the Indian government has taken a string of diplomatic and economic actions.
The Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari has been shut. The SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals was suspended, giving them 40 hours to exit India. Both countries also reduced the number of staff at their respective High Commissions.
New Delhi also pulled out of the Indus Waters Treaty, a 1960 agreement that had withstood multiple rounds of bilateral strain.
Trade has been hit hard. India imposed a total ban — direct or indirect — on goods imported from or exported to Pakistan. According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the restriction applies “regardless of their import status.”
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways added, “Ships bearing the Pakistan flag shall not be allowed to visit any Indian port.” Indian-flagged vessels, likewise, are prohibited from docking at any Pakistani port.
The ministry explained the move is aimed at “fostering the development and ensuring the efficient maintenance of an Indian mercantile marine, in a manner best suited to serve the national interests.”
A defence manufacturing network under strain
Munitions India Limited, headquartered in Pune, operates 12 major factories that produce everything from Pinaka rocket launchers to hand grenades and infantry ammunition. These facilities cater to the Indian Army, Air Force, and various export clients.
Their output includes 5.56mm, 7.62mm, and 9mm bullets, tank shells, mortar bombs, and high-explosive charges. With demand climbing — both for national defence and export — the workforce is under pressure to deliver.
As the country responds to the Pahalgam tragedy, MIL’s decision to restrict leaves signals a push to maintain readiness. While the official stance steers clear of direct links to the terror attack, the timing and scope of action reflect the national mood.
(With inputs from TOI)
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