Prices of firecrackers have increased by 20 per cent this year: Consumers have also decreased due to the price hike, new varieties of firecrackers have been seen in the Diwalipura fireworks market, 1 to 7 inch Babu Shot will make a splash

With Diwali just days to go, the markets of Vadodara are witnessing a rush of shopping. While roadside firecracker shops have been set up in different parts of the city, the Diwalipura firecracker market has been witnessing a rush of people. This year, the prices of firecrackers are witnessing a big increase. Ismail Kapadwala and Imran Kapadwala of Rambo Crackers said that the price of firecrackers has increased by 20 to 30 per cent this year due to the increase in raw material prices and reduced production in Sivakasi. Despite the increase in prices, the attraction of the new variety remains intact. This year, the trend has completely changed. The demand for Kothi and Chakri has gone down to negligible, which has been replaced by new fancy fireworks. Lollipop pencils, pizza time fountains and gun fountains are in the highest demand among children. The demand for 0.5-inch safe balloons for small children and 2 to 7-inch sky shots and baby shots for adults is high. So far, balloons up to 3.5 inches used to come, but this year for the first time, big shots up to 7 inches have come. Apart from this, dollar-poker wheel chakri, laser show kothi and shika running car running from 10 to 15 feet are hits among the youth.