Chennai: Island Grounds will open for cracker sales on Tuesday, but the usual sparkle will be missing. The government has not managed to sell all the 80 shops set up at the venue.
Thanks to lack of interest shown by cracker dealers this Deepavali season, with demand dipping and the threat of cheap Chinese crackers coming into the market, 20 shops have found no takers this time.
In another departure from usual practice, this year, Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) is allocating shops through an auction on a first come first served basis, ending the participation of middlemen in the contracts.
So far, 55 shops have been auctioned ranging from a price tag of Rs 20,000 for small shop to Rs 70,000 for bigger space, a TTDC official said. Three shopping avenues A, B and C had been created for the public to walk through and select their choice of crackers. So far, Rs 50 lakh revenue had been made through sale of shops and the remaining shops are available for sale. About two lakh sq. feet has been exclusively allocated for parking purpose, the official added.
“Not many traders are interested in sale of crackers. The profit margin has reduced over the years due to high purchase costs. Till 2000, along with two of my partners, I used to visit Sivakasi and purchase crackers. But now all three of us have quit this temporary business,” recalls V. Dhamodharan, a trader who focuses on seasonal products like calendars, diaries, crackers and festival gifts.
Police allow illegal make shift shops to sell crackers in T Nagar, Parrys, Pursawalkam and Tambaram. This also affects the sale of traders at Island Grounds, he said.
