HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court’s direction to the State government to ban the sale of firecrackers has come as a bolt from the blue for traders, with many fearing financial losses.
Several miffed wholesale firecracker traders and small-scale sellers in Hyderabad, who are trying to keep their businesses afloat amid the pandemic, have said the court’s decision would dent their income further. According to them, if the government was concerned about pollution, it should have shut down firecracker manufacturing units first.
Traders from some of the city’s major firecracker markets — such Osmangunj, Begum Bazar and Kukatpally — said if the government had already planned to ban firecrackers, it should have announced it earlier and not two days before Diwali. “Our sales during the wedding season and Dasara were hit by Covid, and we were looking forward to make some business during Diwali. If we had any idea about this ban, we would not have bought stocks worth lakhs of rupees,” a shopkeeper from Begum Bazar said. Another trader from Shanti Fireworks in Osmanjung said the ban on all types of firecrackers, including the green ones that don’t cause pollution, is beyond comprehension.
Meanwhile, the sale of firecrackers continues in most markets. Sheikh Azeem, 23, who runs a firecracker stall at Osmangunj, seems unaware about the development. On being informed about the ban, he refused to believe it and seemed confident that his stall would not be affected.
Speaking to Express, Papaiah, Regional Fire Officer-Central Region, said, “In Hyderabad alone, we had issued temporary licences to around 760 vendors to sell firecrackers, apart from 60 wholesalers to sell all year round. After the court’s order, we will not allow the sale in both small and big shops.”