Supreme Court lets Sivakasi make 'chorsa' again, as long as it is a Gen-2 green cracker
The court rejected a nationwide firecracker ban and accepted NEERI's call for a "limited and conditional relaxation" for redesigned joined crackers. Sivakasi cheered, but says mass production will have to wait for next year.
Fireworks manufacturers in Sivakasi are celebrating a Supreme Court order that allows them, under conditions, to make joined crackers again, the long strings of small crackers known in Tamil Nadu as chorsa, which were barred in 2018.
On September 30, the court ruled out a nationwide ban on firecrackers and accepted a recommendation from CSIR-NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute) for a "limited and conditional relaxation". It permits the manufacture of next-generation, or "Gen-2", joined green crackers that meet noise, emission and safety norms. The Bench also said it would not permit round-the-clock bursting and would consider fixed time windows.
Why Sivakasi cares
"This is a significant milestone for the fireworks industry and a great day for all stakeholders," P. Ganesan of the Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers' Association (TANFAMA) told The Hindu. The basic condition, he said, is that joined crackers must be made only from green crackers; the detailed conditions are awaited.
The industry has fought in the Supreme Court since 2018 to lift the ban on chorsa, with TANFAMA and the Indian Fireworks Manufacturers' Association (TIFMA) both parties to the case. TIFMA general secretary T. Kannan said joined crackers make up about 20% of the industry's total output.
He also made a safety argument. With chorsa barred, he said, many manufacturers, big and small, switched to aerial crackers, which require far more expertise, and accidents increased. Chorsa range from strings of 28 small single-shot bijli crackers to 10,000. Mr. Ganesan called them one of the industry's most affordable products, bought by people from every income group.
There is a catch. With Deepavali about a month away and government inspections of fireworks units already stepped up, manufacturers say it is too late for mass production this season. Some joined crackers may reach the market this year, but full-scale production is likely only for next year's festival.
What is a 'Gen-2' cracker?
According to The Hindu's explainer, green crackers are crackers whose chemistry has been changed to release less particulate matter, using additives such as zeolite, water-releasing dust suppressants and metallic composites that improve combustion. Conventional crackers rely on barium nitrate, antimony and other metals linked to respiratory disease.
The label is misleading. NEERI's own scientists call them "reduced emission fireworks". NEERI says the first generation cut particulate matter by about 30%, and that Gen-2 formulations, using less barium, cut PM10 and PM2.5 by 45% to 60%. These are laboratory figures and have not been verified in real-world conditions.
For joined crackers specifically, NEERI says the new design bursts five braids a second instead of 25, stretching the burn time fivefold, and smaller shells reduce solid waste by 4% to 32%. Noise must stay within 125 dB(AI) or 145 dB(C) at peak, and barium-based ingredients are restricted. Only manufacturers licensed by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) can register with NEERI.
The science is unfinished
NEERI is still modelling how barium from Gen-2 crackers disperses in Bhopal, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, with results due by October 15. The court has also given the Central Pollution Control Board and the Union government more time for barium and noise tests.
The case began with petitions in 2015 over Delhi's winter smog, which led to a ban on sales in the National Capital Region in 2017 and, in 2018, to the framework that allowed only green crackers and barred barium salts and joined crackers. The new order loosens that framework for one redesigned product.
For Sivakasi, where tens of thousands of families depend on the industry, the order brings relief. For the cities where these crackers are burst, the October 15 results will matter just as much.