Fireworks units in Sivakasi resume work after agitation

The fireworks units in and around this town resumed work today after remaining shut for nearly a month demanding exemption of their produce from the Environment Protection Act.
The fireworks manufacturers and workers, who launched an indefinite shut down on December 26, called off their agitation on January 20 after talks with Tamil Nadu Minister K T Rajendra Balaji on their demands.
They had then announced that work would be resumed from today and accordingly more than 800 units in and around this town in Virudhunagar district, the national hub of fireworks, started functioning, industry sources said.
They had also demanded expediting a petition pending in the Supreme Court seeking to ban manufacturing, trading and bursting of crackers throughout the country.

It was contended by them that the pendency of the petition has prompted traders not to place advance orders for firecrackers as they were apprehensive of a ban.
Chief Minister K Palaniswami had on January 17 wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to exempt the fireworks manufacturing industry from environment protection rules to save the livelihood of eight lakh families.
"Since use of fireworks is attached to our socio-cultural traditions,any ban on production, sale and its use would adversely affect sentiments of the people of India," he had said.
The manufacturing units here contribute 90 per cent of the fireworks produced in the country.