Shankar Agarwal, a firecracker wholesaler in Jhola Sahi here, had stocked crackers worth Rs 15 lakh and hoped ... Read More



CUTTACK: Shankar Agarwal, a firecracker wholesaler in Jhola Sahi here, had stocked crackers worth Rs 15 lakh and hoped of doing good business during Diwali . But incessant rain have poured cold water on his plans. Looking at poor sales and lukewarm response of customers, he is worried.

"Diwali is just a day away and by this time 95% of the stock get exhausted. But this year, I have managed to sell only 25%. I have sustained huge losses," said Shankar. Similar is the plight of majority of cracker traders in the city.

Cuttack is the major wholesale market for crackers in the state. Dealers from districts like Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda, Bhadrak, Balasore and Dhenkanal procure goods from here.

There are over 70 cracker wholesalers in the city and they do brisk business during the season.

The entire stretch from Jhola Sahi to Nandi Sahi, the major cracker market, used to be abuzz with activity ahead of Diwali, but this time the area wears a deserted look. "With sunny days back, we expected good business, but we were wrong," said Ashok Sahoo, another wholesaler.

According to traders, the Cuttack cracker market witnesses a turnover of Rs 10 crore to Rs 12 crore during Diwali, but this year the sale has dipped by 60 to 65%.

"The floods have taken the sheen off Diwali in state. The rising prices of crackers have also affected our business. I have requested the Kolkata trader to take back the stock," said Dinesh Sahoo, a trader at Nandi Sahi. The traders said crackers like anar, chakri , musical bombs and phuljhari are sourced from Sivakasi, while Chinese bombs are procured from Kolkata.

"The neighbouring districts have been affected by cyclone and floods so we are not receiving customers from those areas. Very few cracker stalls have come up in the city this year. It seems people are in no mood to celebrate the festival of light," said Basant, a trader of Jhola Sahi.

