SIVAKASI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has declared its complete solidarity to the fireworks and cracker manufacturers who have been pleading for a quick solution to the issues facing the cracker industry.
Thousands of fireworks and cracker industry workforce, general public, representatives of political parties and cracker/fireworks manufacturers have staged a demonstration in Sivakasi on March 1 to garner public and political attention for saving the industry facing hardships due to certain safety norms imposed on them.
On behalf of the BJP, its State secretary Prof.Dr.R.Srinivasan took part in the demonstration and announced that the party would stand in total support for the Sivakasi fireworks and cracker industry.
“The Central government should take remedies through the High Court at the earliest and we are working for the intervention through the Department of Explosives. Our party understands the difficulty of the industry here,” he said while reiterating the BJP’s support.
Manufacturers and outlets have downed shutters for one day with anxiety and concern that the prescribed safety norms are not practical for implementation and they are hoping for a favourable verdict from the High Court to their plea.
“Sivakasi grew on its own. Political parties or government did not create Sivakasi and we are all dutybound to protect this industry. The elitist mindset that Sivakasi fireworks and cracker industry is all about child labour, fire accidents and pollution has unfortunately done significant damage to Sivakasi region because that elitist mindset created public opposition to crackers in recent years,” Dr.Srinivasan has said.
The BJP leader made it clear that his party sees Sivakasi industry as a place of production giving swadeshi employment to lakhs of people and economic development of the region took place due to fireworks and cracker industry. “Let us all that remember that if Sivakasi collapses, the region’s economy will collapse,” he added.
Dr.Srinivasan said that Sivakasi need not panic and the issue of prescribed safety norms will be addressed with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the remedies will be taken through High Court.
Fireworks industry representatives Asai Thambi and Mariappan were among those who voiced their demands.
