Virudhunagar:The country's fireworks hub somehow managed to roll out eco-friendly varieties of crackers in 2019, in line with the Supreme court order but once again the daily-wage workers employed in the industry fear of loss of livelihood due to nationwide lockdown.
The fear of livelihood is looming large over the daily wage earners across the nation amid lockdown and the workers of Sivakasi firework unit in Virudhanagar district of Tamil Nadu, are no exception to it.
The announcement of 21-day lockdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi following coronavirus outbreak in the country led to the closure of the firework industry situated over 550 km from Chennai, which provides livelihood to five lakh people in and around this town.
Fear of livelihood looms large over Sivakasi firework unit workers The manufacturers in Virudhanagar district, which accounts for 85 per cent of the country's firecracker production say there is no other industrial activity to support them and the daily wage workers, who have become jobless during this period.
Last year, the vendors and workers faced a livelihood crisis due to eco-friendly green fireworks issue and anticipating the Supreme Court ruling on the matter.
No sooner did the Sivakasi firework unit come out of a crisis than the coronavirus crisis paralysed the industry entirely.
The plight of the Sivakasi workers is evident in the fact that daily-wage workers are the worst-hit amid the pandemic.
The workers have not only demanded a raised dole for survival from the government but have also urged the manufacturers to come forward to extend a helping hand in these testing times.
"After this lockdown period ends, our jobs should be secured. In case of there are no jobs we want financial aid from the central as well as state governments,” said Marishwari, who works at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Sivakasi.
"Last year for three months, the SC order left many of us and affected our livelihood. This year also due to the 21-day lockdown workers are suffering a lot. The government aid of 1000 rupees per family is not enough and many people are suffering from hunger and poverty," said another worker, who is entirely dependent on the industry for livelihood.
On April 6, ETV Bharat published news on the plight of fireworks workers’ in the backdrop of nation-wide lockdown and their demand to the central and state governments.
As an outcome of this, Virudhunagar Lok Sabha member Manickam Tagore wrote a letter to PM Modi and Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Kumar Ganguvar requesting them to provide a dole of Rs.7,500 each to the workers of firework industry as they are struggling for survival.
"Taking into consideration the plight of the firework workers in Sivakasi, I have requested our Prime Minister Modi to enable to pay 7,500 rupees this month to the daily wage workers," said Tagore.
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