Sivakasi fireworks industry upbeat as Supreme Court permits manufacture of joined green crackers
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A box of joined crackers, in Sivakasi. Image used for representation | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Fireworks manufacturers in Sivakasi are jubilant over the Supreme Court passing an order on Wednesday (September 30, 2026), permitting them to manufacture next-generation joined green crackers.
“This is a significant milestone for the fireworks industry and a great day for all stakeholders,” said P. Ganesan, an office-bearer of the Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers’ Association, Sivakasi. The Supreme Court has laid down a few conditions for making chorsa, and the details of those conditions are awaited. “The basic condition is that joined crackers should be made using only green crackers,” he added.
The industry has been fighting it out legally in the Supreme Court, seeking to lift the ban on chorsa, one of the most popular products in the fireworks industry, since 2018.
Major manufacturers’ bodies like TANFAMA and The Indian Fireworks Manufacturers’ Association (TIFMA) had impleaded themselves in the case.
TIFMA general secretary, T. Kannan, said the Supreme Court order lifting the ban on chorsa will have a significant impact on the future course of the industry, as joined crackers form 20% of the total production of fireworks goods.
With the ban on chorsa, many manufacturers, both big and small, rushed to making aerial crackers that required a lot of expertise, and it led to an increased number of accidents, he said.
“Now, the industry can relax a bit and many could resume making chorsa, which has a good market,” he added.
Chorsa comes in different variants, from those having small single-shot crackers (bijli) numbering from 28 to 10,000.
“This is one of the most affordable products in the fireworks industry and people from across all economic strata could buy it,” Mr. Ganesan said.
Though the manufacturers could attempt to make available joined crackers of different sizes and numbers during the ensuing Deepavali, its mass production could be possible only for the next festival season, they say.
“We have been left with only one month for Deepavali. With the State and Central government officials already having intensified the inspection of fireworks units for implementation of safety procedures, manufacturing chorsa on a mass scale in a short time is not possible,” said Mr. Ganesan.
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