Tamil Nadu's Sivakasi firecracker unit gears up for Diwali with new products, newer designs; higher demand expected

Virudhunagar (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 19 (ANI): With the festival of lights, Deepavali approaching, firecracker production has gained momentum in Tamil Nadu's Sivakasi, widely known for fireworks' hub.
Abhishek, the owner of Sonny Vinayaga Fireworks in Virudhunagar, in Sivakasi district, expressed optimism about the season's business sales.
"We hope that all the products will be sold within this year itself. There has not been much increase in prices this year. It is the same as last year. There will be no increase in prices this time. Everything will be good this year," he said.
Pointing out that Diwali has arrived earlier than usual this year, Abhishek added, "Diwali has arrived a little early this year. This year's sales will be better than last year's. We expect higher sales this year because production is very low. Therefore, I believe that this year there will be high demand for all products and people working in this field will earn well this year."
In addition, the Managing Director of Sonny Vinayaga Fireworks, Hari Ram Kumar, said the company has also focused on introducing new varieties for customers.
"People expect newer products from us every year. This time, we have launched different colours and designs. We will see how our customers respond to the latest varieties. Sales have always been good, and this year they are comparatively better," he noted.
Meanwhile, the manufacturers have also introduced children-specific designs this Diwali season. There are crackers based on the jungle themes, like crackers packed in lion, wolf, and tiger theme boxes.
Along with these, several new varieties of crackers based on cartoons, games, music, and other themes are being introduced to attract children of all ages.
On the other hand, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had recently taken suo motu action and ordered an immediate inspection of all firecracker factories in the district.
Following this, 15 inspection teams were formed, and inspections began on July 14. From that day onwards, over 200 factories operating in Sivakasi, Vembakottai, and the surrounding areas were shut down for inspection.
During the inspections, if any violations were found, the factory licenses were temporarily suspended. Fearing that this could impact the production of firecrackers for Diwali, many factories had voluntarily ceased operations. (ANI)