(Image source from: Twitter.com/ANI)

Sivakasi Factories to Lose Rs 800 Cr after Diwali Firecracker Ban:- 2020 is sure not a year that is expected. Each and every field witnessed and tasted massive losses after the arrival of coronavirus. The daily wage workers and others are in a huge financial crisis. Lakhs of people across the country are left jobless and it takes years for the normalcy to return in the country. The wave of coronavirus is slowly calming down currently but experts hinted and warned about a second wave that may hit the country soon during the winter. The United Kingdom and some of the European countries witnessed a second wave of coronavirus. With Diwali approaching next week, several states banned the use of firecrackers in their states to prevent the spread of coronavirus through air pollution.

Along with the coronavirus, the ban of firecrackers are making the factories of Sivakasi sleepless. Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu is the leading manufacturer of firecrackers in the country. After the restrictions lifted in the country, the Sivakasi fireworks industry expected a relief but their problems continued to turn bigger. The biggest season of Diwali is expected to leave them in huge losses. States like Rajasthan, Delhi, Karnataka, Assam, Sikkim and Odisha already announced the ban of firecrackers this year. The Sivakasi fireworks industry is looking at a loss of Rs 800 crores. Ganesan Panjurajan, the President of Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers’ Association (TANFAMA) said that the years is turning out to be the worst in history and they are expecting a loss of Rs 800 crores in total.

The demand of firecrackers dropped by 35 percent after the pandemic began. The production too got reduced completely as there are no orders for Ganesh Chaturthi and for marriages. The concept of green Diwali is having a huge impact on the lives of the Sivakasi firework industry.