Kolhapur: Costly firecrackers burning a hole in pockets this Diwali

KOLHAPUR: The prices of firecrackers are burning a hole in the pockets of the citizens as the prices have increased by 30-40% this Diwali.
Temporary cracker stalls have started coming up along the roads and on open spaces. However, most retailers have not received the stocks they had demanded. Most of them have received average of 50% of the order they placed with the manufacturers in Sivakasi town in Tamil Nadu.
As Diwali formally starts on Friday, the citizens are rushing to buy the crackers. Many retailers are not selling crackers worth more than Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 to each customer, so that every customer gets at least some firecrackers.
Yuvraj Shinde, the owner of Kolhapur’s famous Shinde Fatake Stall, said, “We are told that the shortage of lworkers and the raw material is the reason behind increased prices by the manufacturers from Sivakasi. Currently, there is a 40% shortage. Fancy items Like sky shots, pencils, bhuichakris, and flower pots have become costly by 40%. The prices of crackers such as bombs and fatake have almost doubled. We are unable to get the amount of stock we have demanded. As of now, half of the stock has been sold out.”
The strict regulations on the manufacture of crackers are also said to be one of the reasons behind the shortage in the supply. The flower pots, which used to cost around Rs 150 per box, are currently sold at Rs 220 to Rs 250 per box. The rockets now cost Rs 400 per box of ten pieces from earlier Rs 300.
“The retailers, citing non-availability of the stock, are not giving crackers as per demand. Most retailers have one or two important cracker varieties missing. I bought firecrackers worth Rs 2,500 from three different retailers,” said Prashant Patil, a resident of Kasba Bawda.