Lull at Sadar Bazaar as crackers’ sale takes a hit
With Delhi’s air quality plummeting to dangerous levels around Diwali every year, the Supreme Court in 2018 had ordered that only green firecrackers can be manufactured and sold
New Delhi, Oct. 24: Festivities appear to have peaked in the capital’s wholesale market Sadar Bazaar, colourful, glittering and all lit up ahead of Diwali, but it is almost impossible to find any firecrackers.
With Delhi’s air quality plummeting to dangerous levels around Diwali every year, the Supreme Court in 2018 banned polluting firecrackers and ordered that only green firecrackers, which cause 30 per cent less pollution, can be manufactured and sold.
Narendra Gupta, president of the Sadar Bazaar fireworks and general traders association, said only 12 people applied for licences this time out of which seven got the licences this week in the bazaar, which is also the city’s largest wholesale market for firecrackers.
“Earlier, around 80 licensed merchants would sell firecrackers. There aren’t enough green crackers and varieties in the market. The sales are low. No one is ready to take the risk,” he said.
In the nearby Jama Masjid market, several
merchants have desisted from selling firecrackers this time. During a spot visit on Wednesday, 10-12 shops were found selling only green firecrackers, with the owners ruing a drastic dip in sales.
“There’s only ‘anaar’ (flowerpot) and ‘phuljhari’ (sparklers) so far, that too are hard to come by. There is a lack of variety and the stock is limited,” said a shopkeeper.
A proprietor at Majestic fireworks alleged “there’s a conspiracy to finish the industry”. “The crowd of customers has thinned out over the last two years. That’s obvious. Why would anyone buy only ‘phuljhari’ and ‘anaar’, which are much more expensive than the conventional firecrackers.
The fun of Diwali is lost,” he said.
Another merchant at Vishal fireworks said, “We have been selling government-approved green firecrackers only. Despite that, there was a protest by schoolchildren here on Monday.”
A buyer said it’s good that green crackers are finally available in the market, but they are very costly. “People do not have many options to choose from. The green crackers are almost double the price of conventional ones,” he said.