Lighting firecrackers our culture, benefits workers: Annamalai

PTI Chennai: BJP leader K Annamalai on Monday exhorted people to buy and burst "a lot of firecrackers" on Deepavali, keeping in mind the welfare of the workers involved in fireworks industry. Earlier, cracker sale hovered around Rs 6000 crore annually, but in the past few years, the usage of crackers has reduced. "There is concern of environmental impact. At some places, it is an opinion that has been thrust upon," he said in a post on 'X.' He posted a short video on Deepavali, with his voiceover explaining the need to burst crackers.

Deepavali is being celebrated on October 31 this year.The BJP's state unit chief recalled he had last year said what will happen if firecrackers are burst on a single day. India, at the 125th spot on annual CO2 emissions was way behind the US (16th place) and China (25th), he claimed. "But we are discussing bursting crackers for just one day as a major issue. Only we are aware that bursting crackers ensures livelihood for many. About eight lakh people are directly and indirectly connected to the fireworks industry," which is mainly confined to Tamil Nadu's Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district, he said.

"They make firecrackers for our joy and they are made amid a lot of challenges. Shouldn't we buy and burst crackers for their joy. Only a flourishing firecracker trade will ensure ancillary units survive," he said. Even the printing press business has its own issues. During the Deepavali festive season, the dreams of lakhs of small traders who dream of repaying eir ebts with the sale of fireworks he added.