<p>Bengaluru: For most people, Deepavali is unimaginable without fireworks — they define the sights, sounds and spirit of the festival.</p>.<p>Though buying crackers is a festive ritual, concerns persist over the use of green crackers and the environmental impact of regular ones.</p>.<p>A check across the city by DH found that several sellers continue to stock crackers without the “green” label. While sales are still modest, demand for all kinds of fireworks is gradually picking up, with many customers placing bulk orders.</p>.<p>Despite the Supreme Court’s restriction on bursting crackers through the year, except during Deepavali, many shops in the city continue to see steady sales.</p>.<p>Madan Kumar of Sri Chakravarthy Traders said prices have risen by 6 to 8% this year due to the recent GST revision, which has pushed up raw material costs.</p>.<p>A vendor in Sultanpet attributed the price rise to the restriction on traditional crackers. “Green crackers are costlier because they are smokeless and soundless,” he said.</p>.<p>At Vaishnavi Crackers in Yelahanka, sales have risen slightly and are expected to increase in the coming days.</p>.<p>However, many vendors find ways to bypass restrictions. Several display only “dummy boxes” in their shops and store the actual stock elsewhere. “We are not allowed to keep crackers here, so we store them in a godown. Once an order is placed, we deliver them,” a salesperson said.</p>.<p>Vendors are also sell supposed “green crackers” at unusually low prices. When questioned, one admitted that most of them were not genuine. “Do you think manufacturers will dump old stock just because it is banned? Ninety per cent of the green crackers are fake — they carry the seal, but still emit smoke and noise,” he said.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: For most people, Deepavali is unimaginable without fireworks — they define the sights, sounds and spirit of the festival.</p>.<p>Though buying crackers is a festive ritual, concerns persist over the use of green crackers and the environmental impact of regular ones.</p>.<p>A check across the city by DH found that several sellers continue to stock crackers without the “green” label. While sales are still modest, demand for all kinds of fireworks is gradually picking up, with many customers placing bulk orders.</p>.<p>Despite the Supreme Court’s restriction on bursting crackers through the year, except during Deepavali, many shops in the city continue to see steady sales.</p>.<p>Madan Kumar of Sri Chakravarthy Traders said prices have risen by 6 to 8% this year due to the recent GST revision, which has pushed up raw material costs.</p>.<p>A vendor in Sultanpet attributed the price rise to the restriction on traditional crackers. “Green crackers are costlier because they are smokeless and soundless,” he said.</p>.<p>At Vaishnavi Crackers in Yelahanka, sales have risen slightly and are expected to increase in the coming days.</p>.<p>However, many vendors find ways to bypass restrictions. Several display only “dummy boxes” in their shops and store the actual stock elsewhere. “We are not allowed to keep crackers here, so we store them in a godown. Once an order is placed, we deliver them,” a salesperson said.</p>.<p>Vendors are also sell supposed “green crackers” at unusually low prices. When questioned, one admitted that most of them were not genuine. “Do you think manufacturers will dump old stock just because it is banned? Ninety per cent of the green crackers are fake — they carry the seal, but still emit smoke and noise,” he said.</p>