Ahmedabad: Monsoon, GST hit fireworks units.

AHMEDABAD: An extended monsoon, combined with an 18 per cent GST has hit fireworks production in Ahmedabad. Over a dozen units have been manufacturing fireworks on the outskirts of Ahmedabad for several decades. The units, that specialize in manufacture of only the ‘555 bomb’ ‘mirchi bomb’ and ‘kothi’, cater to the Ahmedabad market and several other places of Gujarat.

The units are located at Vanch on the eastern outskirts of Ahmedabad. 

Those involved in the manufacturing of fireworks say that the combined turnover of the dozen-odd factories is around 60 lakh rupees, but this time, the turnover is expected to stay between Rs 30 and 35 lakh. “Production has been down by almost 50 per cent. The main reason is that the monsoon season has been extended and there is a GST of 18 per cent on fireworks,” said Nadeem Bagban, one of the leading manufacturers of fireworks. He said that work on fireworks begins almost six months before Diwali  and this year rainfall dampened the raw materials, rendering them ineffective.