People Queue Up at Firecracker Shops in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Firecracker shops across Hyderabad are experiencing long queues of customers. Vendors say that this year’s sales are far better than the past two years, with many people planning grand celebrations on Monday and Tuesday.

Ramesh Mudiraj, a firecracker store manager in Begum Bazaar, said “People started coming in from Friday evening itself. Since Diwali falls over two days this year, families are buying in larger quantities to celebrate on both days.”

“Sparklers, rockets, hydrogen bombs and Ladi (garland crackers) are the most items being sold right now, but people are excited to try new crackers like flying saucers and ground spinners. We ran out of 5,000 wala ladi and 10,000 wala ladi”, Ramesh said.

Several popular firecracker stores and factories in Malakpet, Begum Bazar and Balanagar areas are seeing a huge influx of customers waiting in lines to purchase crackers. Staff at the stores are managing the lines to ensure sales go peacefully. There was no particular spike in demand for green crackers.

Buyers too are excited to celebrate with friends and family this year. Shashank. P, a resident of Amberpet who was waiting in line at a firecracker store in Malakpet, said, “Last year, I bought only a few items. But this time, with Diwali being celebrated on two days, my family members and friends are all coming over, so we’re planning a big celebration.”

Another buyer, Deepak Kumar, said "The prices are a bit higher this year. I remember buying a box of hydrogen bombs at Rs 250 last year, but this year it is almost double at Rs 400."