125 people get green cracker manufacturing certificates

Kolkata: Pradesh Atasbaji Byabsayee Samiti — one of the largest organisation of firecracker manufacturers in the state — has set the ball rolling for manufacture of green firecrackers in the state by handing over training certificates of CSIR-NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute ) to 125 persons who have been trained in manufacturing of green crackers.

“Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wants the state to become self-reliant in manufacture of green firecrackers and accordingly, NEERI has provided hands on training in green cracker manufacturing. Around 250 manufacturers have been trained till date. Now if the state government issues requisite license to them, they can work on manufacture of green crackers which is permitted as per directions of Supreme Court,” Sukdev Naskar, general secretary of the Samiti said.

Around 100 manufacturers who received certificates on Sunday hail from Maheshatala-Budge Budge in South 24-Parganas and the rest are from different districts.

More than 1.5 lakh people in the state are associated with the firecracker industry.

The state government has initiated the process of developing clusters across the state so that manufacturing units can be shifted to such places. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already laid the foundation stone of five clusters across the state recently in virtual mode.