This Diwali will be significantly less bright as the sales of firecrackes in the city have come down by a whopping 40% when compared to those last year, all thanks to the havoc wreaked on people's finances by rising inflation and the cyclone Nilam.
With the basic commodities becoming more and more expensive due to the hike in fuel prices, the focus in on adressing mandatory spending rather than on the not-so-essential crackers. Adding to it all, employees of industries haven't gotten their bonuses owing to the drastic loss of production due to powercuts, firecracker traders say.
The extremely low footfall recieved by makeshift stalls have made retailers hesitant to invest in fireworks for the holiday.
The business in Coastal Andhra has also been gravely affected by the catastrophic cyclone Nilam. Retailers from the region, who usually make a trip to the city at least a week in advance to stock up in bulk quantities, have hardly been seen so far.
At the same time, even the cost of fireworks has gone up by as much as 30% due to inflation and the lack of labour. However, manufacturers hope that the sales will pick up as the festival gets closer.