Cuttack: With the improvement in weather condition, cracker sales at several stalls in the Silver City here picked up, Friday.
Two days of incessant rain powered by a low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal had affected the sale of crackers for the upcoming Diwali festival, sources said.
Expecting brisk business, many traders in the city had procured huge amount of firecrackers from outside Odisha. However, the cracker trade was severely affected by the bad weather.
“People started buying crackers after the rain subsided, Friday. We hope that cracker sales would go up further in the coming two days. Firecracker manufacturing in Cuttack and other districts of the state was stopped due to one cause or the other. We have procured crackers from other states,” said Alok Mahalik, a cracker trader.
However, the traders have admitted that the prices of several varieties of crackers have doubled in comparison to last year’s rates. “Crackers manufactured in Sivakasi are getting good response from buyers. However, people are avoiding crackers that would produce high decibel sound,” said another cracker stall owner.
According to the traders, the Anar variety of cracker is available at prices ranging from Rs 10 to Rs 60. The stalls are charging around Rs 300 for a bundle of Tala Phatka while a packet of Phuljhari is being sold at prices anywhere between Rs 30 to Rs 400.
Similarly, the prices of Akas Dipa vary from Rs 30 to Rs 50. Chakri variety of cracker is being sold at prices ranging from Rs 15 to Rs 200 per packet. The traders are charging up to Rs 500 for a pack of 100 Mahatab variety of firework, sources said.
“The prices of crackers have gone up significantly. I have a liking for Sivakasi crackers. We are avoiding crackers that would produce high decibel noise,” said Gyanaranjan Palai, a resident of Rajendra Nagar.
Pravat Kumar Kar of Jhanjirimangala said he purchased Phuljhari and Mahtab varieties of crackers to avoid pollution. “We should celebrate Diwali but we must look into the pollution issue,” he added.
