Fireworks factories in Tamil Nadu’s Sivakasi town shut down their units and went on a strike on Tuesday, demanding an early hearing at the Supreme Court on the ban on sale of firecrackers, PTI reported. The manufacturers have also sought amendment to the Environment Protection Act to exempt them from its ambit.
The manufacturers said ever since the court banned the sale of firecrackers ahead of Diwali in New Delhi and the National Capital Region, they have been getting little business.
“After Diwali, manufacturers had some business till Christmas,” P Balasubramaniam, general secretary of Virudhunagar district cracker and match workers union, told Scroll.in. “But now, they are not getting advance payments for orders from North India to start production for Diwali 2018.”
Without the payments, the factories do not have enough capital to start production, the manufacturers said, according to PTI. They asked for an early resolution of the plea in the court as traders and dealers feared the court may ban fireworks across the country.
At least 860 factories in the country’s fireworks manufacturing hub have shut shop and are on strike. This could affect the livelihoods at least eight lakh people dependent on the industry directly or indirectly, the All India Federation of Fireworks Associations told IANS.
“The firecracker industry prays for early hearing of the case by the Supreme Court and the judgement, to do away with the uncertain situation,” the federation Vice President K Mariappan told IANS.
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