Sivakasi (Tamil Nadu): Ahead of Diwali, a whopping 1.5 lakh workers in the firecracker manufacturing industry have been left jobless in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu owing to a blanket ban on firecrackers in numerous states, officials said. Firecracker makers, who were anticipating a boom this Diwali after a two-year halt due to Covid-19, are also facing losses.
It is noteworthy that the firecracker sector has employed over seven lakh people, and there are currently more than 1,000 registered firecracker units in operation. For more than 6.5 lakh Sivakasi families, the fireworks industry has been their only source of income. However, recent developments, including the ban on barium, have left over 1.5 lakh people jobless.
"The garland cracker has been banned despite being a significant item. Since garland crackers are entirely handmade and when we cannot produce them, workers lose their jobs. This work was performed by around 40 per cent of factory employees," one of the workers said. Nagendra, a fireworks worker, stated, "I've spent the last 20 years working in a cracker factory.
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The firecracker industry is the only industry in the Sivakasi area. The firecracker industry is the only source of income for the five lakh people that live here. Agriculture cannot be practised under these conditions, only the firecracker business can. For many years, the firework industry has been afflicted by issues such as a restriction on the use of certain chemicals and a ban on the manufacture of some explosives.
"Due to the rain, fireworks cannot be manufactured at this time. This has resulted in unemployment and many states have banned the sale and bursting of firecrackers around Diwali, thus our work is not yielding the desired results," he added. "Therefore, on behalf of the firecracker workers, I request that the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu should consult Prime Minister Modi and raise the livelihood of the firecracker workers," Nagendra said.
Nagama, another fireworks worker, stated, "There is no longer any production or selling of firecrackers. "We don't know any other businesses besides making of crackers, but with the ban on making we lost our jobs. The government should consider our welfare and take a decision in that regard." (ANI)
