The excitement of bursting crackers on Diwali has gathered momentum only after two years of low-key celebrations as firecracker vendors witnessed brisk business on Sunday.
Outlets selling branded firecrackers as well as small shops have been set up across the city including Simmakal, Arsardi, Koodal Nagar, Tamukkam, Moondaram Avadi on the eve of Diwali.
R Logesh Kumar, a second generation firecracker seller who has set up a stall at Kamarajar Salai, said that over 75% of the crackers are green. “By green it means they do not have the banned chemical – barium nitrate. But the production volume has come down by at least 35% compared to previous years due to the overall increase in raw material prices,” he said And said that the prices increased by 30%.
The owner of the firecracker unit in Sivakasi for 20 years, B. Kailasanathan backed him, saying that the prices of raw materials like aluminum powder, potassium nitrate, even fuel and scrap paper have gone up and this has affected the cost of production. “Moreover, the production of green crackers is higher than the banned ones,” he said, adding that the labor force has also shrunk as many involved in making noisy crackers were out of work.
Despite this, Mr. Kumar said the rush of customers has not eased, though the rains have affected sales slightly.
The new varieties of firecrackers this year are the ‘reverse cycle’, which rotates clockwise and counter-clockwise unlike the normal ones, the five-coloured ‘peacock’ flower pot and the drone – a type of firecracker that flies to low altitudes.
Another seller, Y Manoj, said that flower pots costing between ₹200 and ₹1,070, chakras sold for ₹60 to ₹420 and sparklers that cost ₹29 to ₹389 were the top-sellers like every year. While children were interested in plastics. toy guns.
“The craze of firecrackers has not diminished, but it is one of the banned firecrackers. Almost everyone is asking for it, but I have not bought it,” said R Prabhu, a cracker seller in Sivakasi for nine years. He said that though the spending power of the consumer has remained the same, the quantity being procured has come down due to increase in the price of firecrackers.
“Diwali is incomplete without bursting of crackers. So, despite the price hike, the tradition was being upheld,” said G. Pandian, a resident of KK Nagar, while Mayur Hasija, an animal rights activist, said that crackers create a lot of panic and stress for the animals.
“The impact for them is immense and the animals remain under stress for a long time after the festival is over,” he said and instead called for following the lighting of lamps and bursting of crackers only during the permitted time limit.
District Fire Officer S. Vinoth said that regular inspection is being done across the city. “Stalls are being checked to stock the banned firecrackers and keep the licence. In addition, fire and rescue personnel have been deployed at important places and crowded places across the district. Awareness is being spread about fire safety in crowded places,” he said and added that fire tenders were deployed at three places on Masi roads.