Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s dream of making the state self-reliant in manufacturing of green firecrackers received a major boost with registration certificates being handed over to 84 cracker manufacturers who successfully completed training in production of green crackers from NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute).
Manufacturers from different parts of the state, including from Jalpaiguri and Malda in North Bengal, and Murshidabad and Nadia were among others present at Maheshtala in South 24-Parganas on Sunday for receiving the certificates.
The recipients will test their products and once they clear it, they will be able to apply for a manufacturing license. Sukdev Naskar, general secretary of Pradesh Atasbazi Byabsayee Samity, said that the cracker manufacturers who received the certificates on Sunday were part of the 250 odd people who had received hands-on training from NEERI in July under the initiative taken by the state MSME department.
More than 40 businessmen associated with cracker production have already received their registration certificates while 14 have received manufacturing licenses. “The manufacturers have to maintain certain terms and conditions in their respective units as per explosive norms.
They have been informed of this so that they make necessary modifications in their units to abide by such rules,” Naskar said.
In case of manufacture of sparklers, the minimum distance between the chemical room and godown needs to be 15 m while the distance of the godown from machine sets should also be 15m.
Training in three phases was conducted by NEERI at Maheshtala in respect of a variety of firecrackers such as sparklers (Fuljhuri), flower pots (Tubri) and fire torches (Rangmashal).
NEERI has developed new formulations without use of barium nitrate in presence of additives with consequent reduction in emissions as there has been litigation regarding use of barium nitrate in manufacturing of firecrackers as it causes very high pollution.