After 2-yr lull, cracker dealers hope to do brisk biz this Diwali

Ranchi: After a lull of two years due to Covid-19 pandemic, firecracker traders of Ranchi are hoping to do brisk business this Diwali. Wholesale cracker traders have already started setting up their temporary shops at the edge of Morhabadi Ground with the festival of lights only a fortnight away.
“The only thing to worry is the weather. If it does not rain, our sales are expected to reach the pre-Covid figures,” Gauhar Murtaza, the owner of Upper Bazar-based firecracker store Majid & Sons, told TOI.
As per the estimates of Murtaza and his fellow businessmen, firecracker sales dipped by nearly 40% in 2020 and 2021 as compared to its previous years. But sales are likely to go up despite the steep rise in the prices of firecrackers. “From butterfly crackers popular among children to multiple shots, ll types of crackers have become pricier by 22%. This has happened because the production cost of manufacturers (in Sivakasi) went up in order to comply with the Supreme Court guidelines for production of green crackers,” he said.
While the Morhabadi Ground’s makeshift firecracker market was up and running from Wednesday, the ones outside the Jaipal Singh Munda stadium are yet to be operational. “The shops will open in three to four days,” Abhishek Prasad, a firecracker trader in Upper Bazar area, said.