Tamil Nadu’s Sivakasi city is known as the “fireworks capital” of India. The 90-year-old firecracker industry in this small town remains the producer of 90 per cent of India’s firecrackers. Sivakasi has 8,000 firecracker factories which employ around 8 lakh people.
These eight lakh workers in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, who rely on the industry and its affiliated sectors, face a gloomy future this year since Delhi has imposed a blanket ban on firecrackers until January 1. Similarly, the government’s refusal to award sales licenses in Karnataka and limitations in the Noida region is harming the business of firecracker manufacturers in Tamil Nadu’s Sivakasi town.
According to industry players, the blanket ban on firecrackers imposed by the Delhi government has alone led to a 20 per cent demand shortage for Sivakasi manufacturers.
“We are now only producing green firecrackers without using barium nitrate. The ban in Delhi itself has led to a 20 per cent demand shortage for Sivakasi manufacturers,” T Kannan, general secretary of The Indian Fireworks Manufacturers Association (TIFMA) said.
SC refuses to interfere with Delhi govt’s decision to ban firecrackers ahead of Diwali
It may be recalled that on September 13, the Supreme Court declared that it wouldn’t interfere in the ban on the production, sale, storage, and utilization of all types of firecrackers in Delhi during this Diwali season. The ban has been re-imposed by the Delhi government.
A bench comprised of Justices AS Bopanna and MM Sundresh indicated that some different ways to celebrate Deiwali should be adopted. This is after BJP Lok Sabha MP Manoj Tiwari stated before the court that the ban had been re-imposed despite the court allowing the bursting of green firecrackers.
“There are many states imposing complete ban despite the orders of this court,” counsel representing Tiwari argued. The court responded to this by saying, “Locally if there is a ban, there is a ban. We will not interfere. You can find other ways to celebrate.”
The SC decision came after the Delhi government, on September 11, declared a full ban on the manufacture, storage, sale, and bursting of firecrackers in the national capital to tackle high pollution levels during the winter months.
During the previous two years, a similar blanket restriction had been imposed by the Delhi government.
The issue of a ban on firecrackers appears every year ahead of Diwali, blaming the Hindu festival for the grave air pollution faced by Delhi and neighbouring areas during the fall season. Every year Diwali is targeted despite studies showing that the festival’s contribution to air pollution is negligible and temporary, while the major causes are stubble burning by farmers in nearby states, vehicles and construction activities, weather patterns, and the geographical location of the area.