Bursting crackers part of Indian culture: PMK leader

Chennai, Dec 27 : Bursting firecrackers is part of Indian culture and it cannot be banned, said PMK Founder S. Ramadoss on Wednesday.

Coming in support of the firecrackers industry that provides direct and indirect employment to around 10 lakh people in Tamil Nadu, Ramadoss in a statement said banning Made-in-India firecrackers will result in illegal sale of Chinese products.

Addressing the smog problems some north Indian states are facing, Ramadoss said the smog there is due to burning of straw stubble in states like Punjab and Haryana, adding that banning its burning will end the smog problem.

Ramadoss said if bursting firecrackers resulted in smog then southern states should also be suffering from that.

The PMK leader's statement comes in the wake of uncertainty looming over the future of the firecrackers industry and the decision of their apex organisation -- the All India Federation of Fireworks Associations (AIFFA) -- to shut down units in Tamil Nadu's Sivakasi from Saturday onwards till a legal solution is secured.

AIFFA Vice President K. Mariappan had earlier told IANS: "The firecracker industry prays for early hearing of the case by the Supreme Court and the judgement given either way to do away with the uncertain situation."