Tamil Nadu CM urges counterparts of 4 states to reconsider firecracker ban amid COVID

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to his counterparts in Rajasthan, Delhi, Odisha and Haryana to reconsider their decision on a blanket ban on sales of firecrackers. He said that the impact of COVID-19 on the MSME sector has been severe and the firecrackers ban will jeopardize the livelihood of around 8 lakh people involved in the firecrackers business in Sivakasi town.

The firecracker industry in Sivakasi is considered to be worth a whopping Rs 6,000 crore. However, due to the firecrackers ban in the past few years coupled with the pandemic, the people involved in the business have been severely impacted.

"The impact on Tamil Nadu’s economy, largely dependent on the MSME sector for growth and employment, has been significantly severe...The firecracker industry, concentrated around the town of Sivakasi, is one of the most important industrial activities in the State. Around 8 lakh workers depend on the State’s firecracker industry for their livelihood, which is the largest in our country," the press release said.

Tamil Nadu CM noted that some governments banned the sale of firecrackers due to concerns regarding air pollution. "I wish to draw your attention to the fact that the Hon'ble Supreme Court has already banned certain categories of polluting firecrackers are now, green crackers with significantly fewer missions are being manufactured. Therefore a blanket ban on firecrackers is not reasonable...Moreover, such a ban if imposed by other states also would lead to the closure of the entire industry, jeopardizing the livelihood of around 8 lakh persons," he said while considering states to reconsider the ban.

States ban firecracker sale

Last month, the Delhi government banned the storage, sale and use of firecrackers in the national capital owing to air pollution in the city. Haryana has also reportedly taken a similar move in all NCR (National Capital Region) districts. Odisha banned cracker use in October. The Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan also banned the sale and bursting of crackers in the state from October 1 to January 31, 2022.