As the skies cleared up, many sellers of fire crackers in the city heaved a sigh of relief. After days of rain, they finally had some business to look forward to.
“There was literally no business in the last one week. Despite employing a dozen odd boys anticipating heavy rush, we just idled around,” laments Krishnaiah, a cracker trader.
Bad weather
The inclement weather discouraged people from getting closer to the shops, as many did not want to risk buying, transporting and storing crackers with the rains coming down.
“Even petty vendors, who otherwise flock to wholesale shops a fortnight before the festival, did not turn up,” says Narahari, supervisor at a cracker shop in Osmangunj market.
There are an estimated 70 big fire-cracker shops in the city, including ones in markets at Osmangunj, Begum Bazaar, Mahboob Mansion, Chikkadpally and Secunderabad.
These crackers are sourced from different districts in Tamil Nadu, while the Chinese variety is obtained from different parts of the country.
“Business worth crores of rupees is conducted during the Deepavali period, and even a day’s dull sales deprive many of profits and their earnings,” Dheeraj Kumar, a trader explains.
Generally, there are two types of crackers - one that produces sound and the other, fancier one, which emits light.
Nowadays, people prefer lighting display crackers to sound-producing ones, following awareness campaigns.
“It is just the beginning of the season and we cannot anticipate the quantum of sales. We are adopting a wait and watch policy,” another trader says.
