Mysuru: China made fire crackers have come under the scanner in Mysuru. Last year, there was a large number of China made fire crackers being sold by the vendors, but this year, the opposite seems to be true.
Chinese fire crackers are virtually non existant in the stalls this year and no one seems to have noticed the change since the customers no longer ask for them. The change seems tohave been brought about when the vendors realised that there was a strong opposition towards these particular fire crackers.
Satish of Jai Sri Ram Cracker Stall at JK Ground has been in this business for the last four decades. “People are more aware now and do not want to buy any China made fire crackers,”he said. He also added that this year, only fire crackers manufactured in Mumbai and Delhi are being sold in these stalls.
Rahul and Harish, another pir of fire cracker vendors, had similar stories to tell. They claimed that the “gun” was the most popular China made fire cracker among their customers, especially children, as they were attractive as well as cheap. This year, however, they have ordered more colourful “guns” which have been manufactured in India.
The main concern among the vendors this year, is the heavy downpour of rain that has been lashing the city. The fire cracker business has come down by around 50 per cent compared to the previous year. For now they are hoping that the rains will cease at least during the evening hours.
Owing to a GST of 28 per cent, the prices of fire crackers has marched upwards, causing the fire cracker busniess to suffer a lull. This combined with the incessant rains, have led the vendors to worry about clearing their stock more than earning a profit.
High prices have not only driven away some customers, but they have also led to some shops being closed down.
