Mysore/Mysuru: Over 90 per cent of crackers manufactured at Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu (TN)  are green crackers and people can light firecrackers without worry of causing air pollution, said office-bearers of Hebbal Industrial Area Crackers Traders Association.

Addressing a joint press conference here his morning, V. Ravi, Anand, Harish and Manikanth said that in 2018, a few individuals filed a writ in Supreme Court seeking a ban on the manufacture of firecrackers on the ground of causing severe air pollution. Several Central Government agencies were engaged by the Apex Court to suggest chemicals that would not cause harm to the environment. Subsequently, all cracker manufacturing units in TN have been using chemicals suggested by the Central Government agencies.

They said that every bundle of cracker carries the sticker ‘Green Cracker’ and people could check it before buying. However, the sticker is put only on the big bundle and not on small packets. So, people should not get confused and think those are not green crackers. The order from the State Government on bursting only green crackers came just a week ago, but wholesale traders had purchased the stock over a month ago. “The firecrackers we sell are purely green crackers. Buy it without any tension”, they added.

They pointed out that firecrackers sold across the city in designated stall were green crackers and they will not cause any harm to the environment. In fact, pollution from vehicles amount to 90 per cent of air pollution and the cracker may add 3-4 per cent that too during Deepavali festival. Since the citizens have not celebrated any major festival in the last seven months due to outbreak of COVID-19, they have got an additional 10 per cent stock with a hope that people will buy in large quantity. In the wake of Corona, rates have not been hiked, they added.