1,400 cracker units in Sivakasi shut shop indefinitely to protest SC order

The industry employs between 800,000 and 1 million people directly and indirectly

About 1,400 fireworks units in Sivakasi on Monday decided to shut down indefinitely, demanding lifting of the Supreme Court ban in October that restricts the time for bursting crackers.
 
Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Units Owners’ Association, a body of cracker manufacturers, claimed there has been a 60 per cent fall in the sale of firecrackers following the SC order.
 
Sivakasi, about 550 km from Chennai, produces nearly 95 per cent of the country’s crackers. The industry employs 800,000 to 1 million directly or indirectly and has an annual turnover of about Rs60 billion.
 
The decision to