A day's revelry won't impact much; lighting firecrackers our culture, benefits workers: K Annamalai
Chennai, Oct 28: BJP leader K Annamalai on Monday exhorted people to buy and burst "a lot of firecrackers" on Deepavali, keeping in mind the welfare of the workers involved in fireworks industry.
Earlier, cracker sale hovered around Rs 6000 crore annually, but in the past few years, the usage of crackers has reduced.
"There is concern of environmental impact. At some places, it is an opinion that has been thrust upon," he said in a post on 'X.'
He posted a short video on Deepavali, with his voice-over explaining the need to burst crackers.
Deepavali is being celebrated on October 31 this year.
The BJP's state unit chief recalled he had last year said what will happen if firecrackers are burst on a single day.
India, at the 125th spot on annual CO2 emissions was way behind the US (16th place) and China (25th), he claimed.
"But we are discussing bursting crackers for just one day as a major issue. Only we are aware that bursting crackers ensures livelihood for many. About eight lakh people are directly and indirectly connected to the fireworks industry," which is mainly confined to Tamil Nadu's Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district, he said.
"They make firecrackers for our joy and they are made amid a lot of challenges. Shouldn't we buy and burst crackers for their joy. Only a flourishing firecracker trade will ensure ancillary units survive," he said.
Even the printing press business has its own issues.
During the Deepavali festive season, the dreams of lakhs of small traders who dream of repaying their debts with the sale of fireworks will also come true when people light these firecrackers in good numbers, he added.
"Bursting crackers is not just our culture, but also our people's livelihood, the overall economy of our Sivakasi people. Your dear younger brother Annamalai requests you, buy a lot of crackers and burst them. Nothing will happen by lighting crackers for one day in a year. Be careful while doing so, don't cause any harm to others. So many living beings including animals live along with us, we should burst crackers without causing any trouble to them."
"Let us celebrate Diwali in a way our brothers and sisters in Sivakasi benefit from that," the BJP leader said.
பட்டாசு வெடிப்பது நம்ம கலாச்சாரம். நம் மக்களின் வாழ்வாதாரம். நம் சிவகாசியின் ஒட்டுமொத்த பொருளாதாரம்.
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) October 28, 2024
நம் மகிழ்ச்சிக்காகப் பட்டாசு தயாரிக்கும் தொழிலாளர்களின் வாழ்வாதாரத்துக்காக, நாம் அனைவரும், நம்மால் முடிந்த அளவுக்குப் பட்டாசு வாங்கி வெடிக்க வேண்டுமென்று கேட்டுக் கொள்கிறேன்.… pic.twitter.com/t1i0LvFNFH
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UP: Misled by GPS navigation, car falls into river from partially constructed bridge, 3 dead
Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.
The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.
"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.
The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.
There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.
Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.
The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
— Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) November 24, 2024
