AIADMK co-ordinator O. Panneerselvam on Saturday said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin must speak directly to his counterparts in various States that had banned the sale of firecrackers, ahead of Deepavali, and impress upon them that these crackers, made in Sivakasi, were green crackers that would not cause pollution.
On Friday, Mr. Stalin had written to the Chief Ministers of four States — Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Odisha — urging them to lift the blanket ban on the sale of firecrackers. He had said that it would lead to the loss of livelihood for nearly eight lakh people in Sivakasi. On Friday evening, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced the lifting of the blanket ban.
Mr. Panneerselvam said the crackers being made in Sivakasi now were non-polluting, and were made in adherence to the standards set by CSIR and NEERI. Those in the firecrackers industry in Sivakasi wanted the Central and State governments to lift the blanket ban, he said. Mr. Stalin should mount pressure on the Congress and the BJP to ask their governments in Rajasthan and Haryana respectively to lift the bans. He should use his personal influence with the Chief Minsters of Delhi and Odisha to get the same done, Mr. Panneerselvam said.
He also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention to secure the release of 23 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and their trawlers from Sri Lanka. The frequent arrests and detention of fishermen from the State was worrisome, he said.
