Get ready to shell out more for Diwali delight this year. For, firecrackers will be costlier.
With large swathes of Andhra Pradesh being inundated following incessant rain and floods, heavy vehicles carrying consignment of crackers are stuck on their way to Jharkhand and Bihar.
These trucks come from Shivakashi in Tamil Nadu and Kanyakumari. Besides firecrackers, many also ferry perishable items such as eggs, fish, fruits and onions.
According to sources, consignments of firecrackers usually start coming to the steel city as early as August. Till now, about 50 per cent of crackers have already reached the city, but the bulk order is yet to arrive.
"Crackers are transported via road and not by train. But because of the floods, a number of trucks coming via Andhra Pradesh are stuck on the road," a trader said.
Raju Barwalia, a whole-seller, added: "An imbalance in the demand-supply ratio will result if the trucks do not reach Jamshedpur on time. This will definitely lead to a price hike."
The inclement weather only worsens matters. Both traders and revellers are praying for a dry Diwali so that celebrations are not marred.
"Generally, Diwali falls in November, when monsoon is already over. But due to late arrival of rains this year and an early Diwali, it seems that the weather will continue to play spoilsport," said another cracker dealer Prakash Kumar.
The trader expressed fears that retailers may not purchase crackers from them if it rains in Diwali. "We are keeping our fingers crossed. A wet Diwali will severely affect our business," Kumar added.
"Trading in crackers is like gambling. On the one hand, a large consignment of crackers is held up in Andhra Pradesh, triggering fears that prices of firecrackers will go up. On the other hand, the inclement weather threatens to affect our sales. We don't know what to do," rued another trader.
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