Cracker ban spells gloom for Sivakasi

A ban on the bursting of crackers in many parts of the country has adverse effect on  the fireworks industry in Sivakasi, the firework manufacturing hub of India located in the Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu.People working in the cracker manufacturing industry have a high risk on their lives but they say it is the only option for them to earn a livelihood. In most cracker manufacturing units, 80 per cent of those employed are women and if the cracker industry gets affected more than 8 lakh people in the district of Virudhunagar will be affected.

This year because of the pandemic the industry had suffered a lot. Factories were closed for nearly two months and only 70 per cent of production could happen. Five states, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Odisha and Karnataka have announced a ban on crackers this Diwali on account of rising air pollution and Covid situation.  After the Supreme Court-guideline to produce green crackers, most firecracker manufacturers have started generating green crackers. According to experts Green crackers are nothing but crackers that reduce emissions by 30 to 35 per cent and emit 125 decibels as compared to 160 decibels which are produced by the conventional crackers.The cracker industry produces nearly Rs 3,500 crore worth of material every year, and 80 per cent of the produced firecracker sales are dependent on Diwali.

Virudhangar MP Manickam Tagore has appealed to the authorities to relax the blanket ban on all fireworks and allow the sale of scientifically-ratified eco-friendly ‘Green Fireworks’ of Sivakasi. According to N Elangovan, the general secretary of the Federation of Tamil Nadu Fireworks Traders (FTNFT), around 2 lakh persons are directly employed in the firecracker sector of Sivakasi, and Rajasthan is one of their major market – contributing almost 12 per cent to overall sales every year. “While products have been shipped away to different States, we are yet to receive payments from many traders,” claims Elangovan.