Govt Targeting Licensed Sivakasi Firecracker Units, Says Ex-Minister
In a statement on Monday, Thennarasu said the Sivakasi fireworks industry was the backbone of Virudhunagar district’s economy, generating an annual turnover of around Rs. 6,000 crore and providing direct and indirect employment to more than 7 lakh people
VIRUDHUNAGAR: Former finance minister Thangam Thennarasu has accused the state government of targeting licensed firecracker manufacturers and traders in Sivakasi under the guise of inspections, alleging that law-abiding businesses were being subjected to intimidation despite complying with all statutory requirements.
In a statement on Monday, Thennarasu said the Sivakasi fireworks industry was the backbone of Virudhunagar district’s economy, generating an annual turnover of around Rs. 6,000 crore and providing direct and indirect employment to more than 7 lakh people.
He claimed that the industry accounted for over 80 per cent of the country’s firecracker production and cautioned that any disruption to its operations would have serious economic and social consequences.
While maintaining that stringent action against illegal manufacturers and those violating safety regulations was fully justified, Thennarasu said factories and retail outlets operating with valid licences should not be subjected to unnecessary inspections, intimidation or administrative excesses in the name of enforcement. Treating law-abiding entrepreneurs and traders like criminals was unacceptable, said the former minister.
Thennarasu also alleged that the intensified inspections ahead of the Deepavali season, when production and sales are at their peak, had created uncertainty among manufacturers and traders and disrupted normal business operations. Such actions, he claimed, would jeopardise the livelihoods of lakhs of workers, particularly women and those from economically-weaker rural households, besides affecting the economy of Sivakasi and the commercial activity of Virudhunagar district.
Calling upon the government to immediately end what he described as unnecessary inspections of licensed units, Thennarasu suggested the authorities adopt a facilitative approach by helping the industry comply with safety regulations, instead of disrupting legitimate businesses.
He said the government should create a conducive environment for manufacturers and traders to continue production and sales without fear during the festive season.
The former minister warned that if the alleged harassment of licensed manufacturers, traders and dealers continued, the DMK would, with the approval of party president M.K. Stalin, launch a large-scale, democratic agitation in Sivakasi to protect the interests of the fireworks industry and of the lakhs of workers dependent on it.TVK MLA Rhevanth Charan slams Udayanidhi Stalin after 'Trisha' slogans raised at DMK event
