Diwali cracker sales slump in India, as court orders prevail

Days after the Supreme Court of india banned the sale of fireworks in Delhi and neighbouring NCR region, Punjab & Haryana High court ordered that residents of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh will only be allowed to light Diwali crackers only for three hours (from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm) on Thursday, October 19. While these back to back decisions by Indian courts demonstrate a serious concern over pollution caused by crackers, retailers are feeling the pinch.

However HC cleared that detailed guidelines for the future will be laid down subsequently. Source: Flicker/SBS

 After High Court's ruling, Punjab’s Kurali cracker market, one of the biggest in the region showed up to 50% slump in sales.

 Dealers attribute it to the rising awareness about the polluting effects of crackers, coupled with the after effects of demonetisation and implementation of GST.  As a result, local wholesale dealers are offering big discounts on the sales of Diwali fireworks.

Most firecrackers contain heavy metals like aluminium, nickel, and titanium, etc. Source: Flicker/SBS

Historians believe that use of fireworks in the celebration of Diwali, which has been the norm in India for decades now, must have come into existence after about 1400 AD, when gunpowder came to be used in Indian warfare.

Gunpowder — the accidental tenth or eleventh century invention of medieval Chinese alchemists — was initially dubbed as the “devil’s distillate.” But as its military use evolved in China, so did its show and gimmick value.

However there is no evidence found in history on use of firecrackers on “Diwali” or “Bandi-Chhor” Diwas. Though people used to light “Diyas” as part of celebrations, historically there is no reference to the burning of firecrackers.