VIRUDHUNAGAR: The Supreme Court’s decision to permit the manufacture of next-generation joint green crackers has brought fresh hope to Sivakasi’s firecracker industry, which has been grappling with a steep rise in production costs.
Manufacturers in Sivakasi and surrounding regions have welcomed the judgment, saying the newly-formulated ‘saravedi’ — designed to reduce solid waste generation and particulate matter emission — could restore the product category that once accounted for at least 20% of cracker demand and provide employment opportunities for thousands of workers.
The Supreme Court had banned the cracker variety in 2018 citing environmental concerns, including noise pollution and solid waste generation. Speaking to TNIE, Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers Association (TANFAMA) president Ganesan Panjurajan said manufacturers could produce up to 10,000 ‘wala’ variants of the newly-formulated crackers, subject to compliance with the prescribed conditions.
“The newly-formulated joint crackers have a reduced tube size, use a lower quantity of chemicals and meet the prescribed sound limits. They also reduce particulate matter emissions by up to 30%,” he said. “We have also established that the waste generated by the cracker is biodegradable,” Panjurajan said.
The association said CSIR-NEERI scientists and experts from various research institutions, regulatory authorities, industry representatives and other stakeholders, along with TANFAMA, contributed to the development, testing and evaluation of these crackers.
“Their efforts, including the presentation of scientific data before the Supreme Court, played a significant role in the positive outcome,” he said.
Panjurajan added that although large-scale production of joint crackers may not be possible before this Deepavali season, the judgment would benefit the industry in the coming years.
Meanwhile, Small Cracker Manufacturers Association president G Vinayagamoorthi said that of the industry’s annual turnover of around `6,000 crore, joint crackers alone accounted for nearly `1,000 crore.