Manufacturers hopeful of bumper sale even as students say no to crackers

With just couple of days left for the festival of lights-Diwali-firecracker manufactures are confident about a bumper sale in spite of the increase in the prices of raw materials needed to make crackers and an untimely rainfall which affected the drying up of made up crackers.

Siliguri (WB)/ Patna, Nov 6 : With just couple of days left for the festival of lights-Diwali-firecracker manufactures are confident about a bumper sale in spite of the increase in the prices of raw materials needed to make crackers and an untimely rainfall which affected the drying up of made up crackers.

Jayanta Singha Roy, who supplies fire crackers to Sikkim, Bihar and some other parts of the country, said he is flooded with supply orders.

"There is huge demand of crackers at the time of Diwali. In off-season, we supply crackers at the time of government festivals. But the requirements are different on both the occasions," said Roy.

People in the country spend lakhs of rupees on crackers on Diwali. This results in heavy air and noise pollution.

However, gradually people are realizing the ill effects of crackers on environment. In Patna, school children came out on the roads and made a human chain to educate people about the ill effects of bursting firecrackers. They carried anti cracker placards and chanted slogans like 'say no to fire crackers'.

"Our motto is to spread the message of say no to crackers. We want that whole Patna celebrate Diwali with candles, lights, and joy with their friends," said Tanya, a student.

Other students echoed the same sentiments.

"When we burst crackers it causes noise pollution. It affects our city and makes it unhealthy due to which people suffer. This time we want Diwali to be celebrated with lamps which benefits us and don't cause any harm to us," said Kumar Jatin, another student.

Diwali, which marks the return of God Ram to Ayodhya after 14 years in exile, will be celebrated on Friday (Nov 9).

ANI