The green cracker of Deepawali in Barpeta district of Assam, which became famous all over the country

Bhupen Goswami 

Guwahati: After the Supreme Court’s order on firecrackers on the occasion of Diwali, everyone is looking for green crackers. But now the problem is that green crackers are not available. Many firecracker shops in the market have been closed due to non-sale of green crackers. But today we are going to tell you about a village that has been making green crackers for more than 130 years. This is Ganakkuchi village in Barpeta district of Assam where people have been making eco-friendly crackers since 1885. They have a special formula with the help of which they have been making green crackers. In a 2021 judgment last year, the Supreme Court had, among other things, set a two-hour deadline when citizens can burst crackers, while also issuing a crackdown on some hazardous pollutants like barium nitrate and aluminium, which are used to make them.

While scientists from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are working on developing ‘green crackers’. Court orders in 2021 were giving a good position to the residents of Ganakkuchi village in Assam’s Barpeta district, who are involved in the process of making crackers, a new lease of life. This is because, for 130 years, they have used a formula that ensures that these products remain mostly environmentally friendly. Our products are almost like green crackers. They are less polluting because we don’t use high explosive materials. Once that happens, it will promote indigenous industries like ours,” said a traditional firecracker manufacturer from Ganakkuchi. Even though the court has done little to clearly define the characteristics of the ‘green cracker’. With annual sales of Rs 1 crore, manufacturers of indigenous, yet eco-friendly firecrackers, are increasing it five-fold with the new court order.