Fireworks units call bandh on Friday

Fireworks units and workers in Sivakasi have decided to organize a series of protests to get the attention of the state and Union governments towards reopening the units which were closed following the Supreme Court’s firm stand that only green fireworks should be manufactured and lit.

Firework units close around November 3 for Diwalii and usually open a week after the festival, after taking a break from the year-long production routine. This year the units were supposed to reopen on November 13, but firework manufactures announced an indefinite closure as the SC banned use of barium salts and manufacture of joint crackers (laris). “Eighty-five per cent of the fireworks cannot be manufactured due to the SC direction. All 1,070 fireworks units in and around Sivakasi are closed since then. This has affected the livelihood of more than 8 lakh labourers who are solely dependent on the industry for their bread and butter. More than 75% of the labourers are women,” said CITU Virudhunagar t secretary P N Deva.

Last year, fireworks units were closed for 38 days due to the case pending in the SC. On Tuesday, firework labourers will be erecting black flags on their houses and are also planning to stage protests at many places in Sivakasi. On Friday, they plan to petition the Virudhunagar district collector in thousands and seek the intervention of the state government to relax norms and help resume production. The same day firework units, workers, master printers association, traders, vegetable market and lorry operators have planned a bandh in Sivakasi.

“We have two main demands. Exempt fireworks from rule 3 of The Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986, and the state and union government should give relief to the firework unit workers for the closure period,” Deva said. Representatives of the Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers Association will be making a representation to the chief minister at Chennai on Monday night and chief controller of Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) in Nagpur.

“At the hearing on December 11, SC asked PESO to come up with the formula for green crackers for the next hearing on January 22. We are not sure when PESO will be able to give the formula and when we will be able to start production. So we will press PESO to expedite their process of giving formula,” Tanfama general secretary K Mariappan said.