12th October 2014

Courtesy: The Hindu

Chinese crackers continue to worry indigenous makers

With less than a fortnight to go for Deepavali, and with cracker shops starting to come up all across the city, manufacturers and wholesalers are worried that Chinese crackers may be sold on a large scale on the eve of the festival.

K. Mariappan, member of senior advisory committee, Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Association (TNFAMA), said that according to estimates, at least Rs. 600 crore worth of Chinese crackers had entered the country and were available at retail outlets.

“We are worried about the survival of the industry. The Chinese goods are substandard and contain harmful substances,” he alleged, adding that the city police had to crack down on them.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently directed the Centre to conduct raids nationwide and seize Chinese crackers that had been illegally imported, Mr. Mariappan added.

N. Raja, president, Tamil Nadu Pattasu Thozhil Thozhilalar Nala Sangam, said they had announced a reward of Rs. 10 lakh to those who seized Chinese crackers. “If the sale of indigenous crackers is affected, it will also affect us workers. To encourage brands from Sivakasi this year, we are creating Deepavali sandhais at YMCA Kottivakkam, Express Avenue, YMCA Royapettah and Jawaharlal Nehru Salai. These outlets will sell crackers of all major brands at nominal cost,” said Mr. Raja, who is also a wholesaler.

All the sandhais, except the one at Express Avenue, will be open from October 15. The one at the mall , with 36 shops, will open a day later. Meanwhile, traders have also begun putting up shops on Island Grounds.

Asked about the sale of cracker gift boxes at higher MRPs, Mr. Mariappan said the prices were printed on the boxed due to pressure from retailers. But this year, most of the 800 manufacturers in Sivakasi have decided to print the price at only thrice the MRP as various taxes and transport charges had to be taken into account.