Congress MP pens a letter to PM, seeks support for 'Fireworks Hub of India'

"Since the fireworks manufacturing has already been reduced significantly due to various restrictions imposed on the basis of environmental issues, the annual production of the industry has already come down to 50%. Under this situation, there is a need to set up a branch of NEERI in Karaikudi to assist small manufacturing units and certify their products at the earliest," he asserted.

New Delhi: Congress party's Lok Sabha MP Manickam Tagore writes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioning about the issue of reduction in fireworks manufacturing in Sivakasi and urging him to open a branch office of NEERI in Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu.

"Due to the recent restrictions imposed by the Hon'ble Apex Court in 2018, these units are in an economic crisis along with uncertainty in the market for their products. As per the order of the Supreme Court, these factories are involved in manufacturing only green crackers with the formula prescribed by the court," the letter read.

Manickam Tagore's letter to PM

Manickam Tagore's letter to PM

It must be noted that National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), a constituent of Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), is the competent certifying authority to ensure that the green crackers are produced as per the norms and has its headquarters in Nagpur.

Manickam Tagore claimed in his letter that nearly 150 manufacturing units have obtained certificates from the NEERI CSIR for production of green crackers till now, however, 800 micro-small manufacturing industries could not get the same because of remote distance of the location of office of the certifying authority.

"Since the fireworks manufacturing has already been reduced significantly due to various restrictions imposed on the basis of environmental issues, the annual production of the industry has already come down to 50%. Under this situation, there is a need to set up a branch of NEERI in Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu to assist small manufacturing units and certify their products at the earliest," he asserted.

The Congress MP has also raised the same issue today in Lok Sabha.