Two days after Odisha putting a ban on the sale and use of fire crackers during this Deepabali in wake of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situation, Tamil Nadu Government Thursday urged Chief Minister to lift the restriction.Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami in a letter to his counterparts in Odisha and Rajasthan requested to revoke the ban on sale and use of firecrackers
The TN CM said the ban will have a great impact on about eight lakh workers in Tamil Nadu, the national fireworks hub.
He pointed to the ban imposed in both the states over pollution concerns in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
“About 90 per cent of the total cracker manufacture in the country is from Tamil Nadu which provided direct and indirect employment to about eight lakh people”, Mr.Palaniswami noted.
Stating that their livelihood solely depends on the sale of crackers during Diwali season, TN Chief Minister said the ban on bursting crackers in states can have a direct bearing on the livelihood of over eight lakh workers in Tamil Nadu and an equal number of people engaged in its sale.
Tamil Nadu used raw materials with reduced emission level and produced low decibel firecrackers, he pointed out adding: “I would like to bring to your kind notice that Tamil Nadu produces mainly green crackers and therefore the question of environmental pollution does not arise. There is no empirical or validated data to demonstrate that the bursting of crackers has an effect on COVID-19 patients”.
As per a 2018 Supreme Court direction, Tamil Nadu has only restricted bursting of green crackers to one hour in the morning and for an equal time duration in the evening, he added.
The fireworks industry is mainly concentrated in and around Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district in southern Tamil Nadu.
