Amid strict rules, vendors confident of sparkle in cracker sale

CHENNAI: Two days after the Supreme Court issued a clarification on regulations for the manufacturing and bursting of firecrackers, the vendors are ready in Chennai for another festival season.

While hearing a plea seeking clarification on rules on using crackers by the Rajasthan government, the Supreme Court on Tuesday had said its earlier directions on the matter is applicable to the entire nation and not just Delhi-NCR. As per the direction by the apex court issued in 2018, it is compulsory to burst green crackers, which are made of only permitted chemicals. The crackers must be burst only between 6 am to 7 am and between 7pm to 8pm on the day of Deepavali.

Meanwhile in Chennai’s Island Ground, one of the hot spots of cracker sales in the city, 60 shops have been set up ahead of Deepavali. An atmosphere filled with excitement, one can notice new varieties of crackers in the shops, ranging from the cost of Rs 30 to 3,000, in varieties of shapes including peacock. There are less expensive items too on the list, that are not behind in colours, speed or shapes. Most of the crackers sold are being made in Sivakasi with the vendors coming from there for the one-week Deepavali sales.

Amid the strict regulations, the sellers have high expectations of having a good sale this year too like the previous years.

“The regulations are not affecting the sale in any way. Environment-friendly green crackers, that have less smoke, are being sold. Indian made crackers, mostly from Sivakasi, are used. Standard and vanitha are the most sold brand of crackers,” said vendor Sheik of JA Traders. Crackers for kids has a huge market and has new varieties, he added.

“The crowd will increase in the following days as Deepavali approaches. We are only selling green crackers following the protocols by the Supreme Court. The shops are opened after adhering to all the precautions,” said A Rafeek of Limra Crackers agencies. He said the vendors are concerned about the customer safety and the government also looks into the safety aspects.

The crackers are handled with utmost care, he said.

As part of precautions, there are fire extinguishers in each shop. The ground has police protection with a good force.

“There is fire services, police protection and in case of emergency there is sand, water etc. Also, we made sure during the inspection that the green crackers approved by the government are sold here and not china crackers. There is water, sand and gel in case of emergency in every shop,” said Ajit AK, the Bouncer in charge.

“Rates are different in each shop, so we should compare the rates and get the products after bargaining. Safety precautions are also looked into very well. There are fire extinguishers in each shop and they also instruct us to not smoke in the area. They also ask us to get roll crackers from outside,” said S Siva, a customer.

We purchase the crackers mostly for our kids and hope that every safety measure is taken, said another customer.