Knee-Jerk Response Kicks Sivakasi In The Stomach: Eight Lakh People Stand To Lose Their Jobs Due To SC Cracker Ban

The recent Supreme Court judgement that banned the sale of crackers except ‘green crackers’ could lead to around 8 lakh workers losing their jobs, as reported by DNA.

While the certainty regarding the effectiveness of these ‘eco-friendly’ fireworks remains dubious, the lives and the future of these workers hangs in the balance. Most of them are employed in hundreds of factories of Sivakasi, located at the southern tip of Tamil Nadu.

According to K Mariappan, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers Association (TANFAMA), since there was no approved chemical composition for green crackers, industries would not be able to start production for the next year.

The SC in its 23 October judgement passed an interim order that only green crackers, which were less noisy and produced relatively less emission, were to be used by citizens celebrating Diwali this year (2018). However, more than 80 per cent of the inventory held by traders does not conform to such lofty standards.

Also Read :

Despite Monkey-Balancing, SC Has Done Right To Lift Diwali Cracker Ban

What Are ‘Green Firecrackers’? Vendors Left Bewildered Following Supreme Court’s Cracker Verdict