Thursday, 04 November 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
The local shopkeepers are sceptical about the possibility of rise in firecracker sales on Deepawali today after the sales remain subdued on Wednesday. The overall business in this Deepawali season was good for jewellers and shopkeepers selling clothing and electronic items since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the state last year. However, the business of firecrackers has dropped compared to last year despite the increase in the availability of green crackers in Dehradun. A firecracker seller Kundan Bhandari said, “I have sold firecrackers worth Rs 900 to six people in the past three days. I had sold the firecrackers of about Rs 8,000 in two days before Deepawali last year. Considering that people are less scared of Covid this year, I invested more to buy eco-friendly crackers and expected a hike in sales but it worsened this year.” Another seller Shubham Gurung said that considering the business so far, firecrackers sellers will have to bear heavy losses even if sales improve on Deepawali. He said, “Most of the buyers purchase firecrackers in bulk and easily spend at least Rs 50,000 by Chhoti Deepawali. The customers I have attended to so far are those who just buy a few packets of firecrackers which are not even worth Rs 1,000. Even if sales improve on Deepawali, we will not earn enough profit as many tend to sell firecrackers at lower prices to clear the stock.”
On whether the sale is affected by higher prices of green crackers, the sellers said that it is not the issue as most of the customers are not even approaching their stalls to ask prices.
The president of Doon Valley Mahanagar Udyog Vyapar Mandal (DVMUVM) Pankaj Masson also said that the business of firecrackers is poor which will cause heavy losses to the sellers. He said, “Most of the firecrackers available in the market are green crackers but the sale is still low. Since most of the profitable sales are largely done before Deepawali, I am not optimistic that the sale will get any better today.” Masson also added that since many families have lost their dear ones during the second wave of the pandemic this year, many remained reluctant to celebrate the festival by bursting firecrackers.
What are green crackers?
Green crackers or eco-friendly crackers are manufactured with such substances that pose less threat to the environment and health. The amount of heavy metals like barium and potassium nitrate is limited or zero in such crackers. The emission of particles is also less in these crackers. They also emit sound between 110 to 125 decibels while ordinary crackers emit the sound of about 160 decibels. However, their prices are slightly higher than the normal crackers. According to a local seller, the green crackers are about 20 per cent expensive than the usual ones.
