The state government has decided to set up four cracker manufacturing clusters in different districts of north Bengal in association with the stakeholders of the industry.

Once implemented, the four clusters together will create employment opportunities for around 1,000 people.

The state MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) & textiles department held a day-long workshop in Siliguri on Monday and discussions were held on a number of initiatives to promote the establishment of MSME units in north Bengal.

Babla Roy, the chairman of Sara Bangla Atasbazi Unnayan Samiti, was present at the workshop. Roy said he had already discussed the project with chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

“The chief minister has given necessary instructions to officials. The plan is to develop four clusters of cracker manufacturing units in different districts of north Bengal. The locations are yet to be identified but initially, it has been decided that each such cluster will come up on a six-acre plot. The state government will provide incentives and subsidies which will cover 90 per cent of the infrastructural cost,” said Roy.

According to him, the cracker industry has huge prospects in Bengal. As of now, most of the crackers come from southern states.

“Our assessment is that out of 10 crore people in Bengal, around 60 per cent buy crackers. This means there is a huge market for crackers in our state. We want to end our dependency on south India and instead, meet the demand with our production. It will also open employment opportunities. Once four clusters are ready, 200 to 250 people will get jobs in each one,” he said.

Across Bengal, there are 31 lakh members registered with the samiti headed by Roy.

“We have decided to provide a short-term licence (for a period of one month) against a nominal fee to open cracker-selling outlets during festive seasons. This can help around one lakh unemployed youths make earnings. Other than these people, no one else would be allowed to sell crackers,” said Roy.

Such selling outlets will not be allowed in residential or congested areas and the licensees will have to adhere to safety rules and regulations.

At the workshop, Roy mooted a proposal to S. Ponnambalam, the district magistrate of Darjeeling, to open a “Bazi Bazaar” (cracker-selling hub) in Siliguri. As of now, there are 50 licensed cracker-selling shops in the district.

“All these shops will come under one roof. This will prevent the illegal sale of crackers and ensure the safety of the shops and the stock,” said a trader based in the city.

Ponnambalam said: “We will identify necessary plots to set up the crackers manufacturing cluster and the selling hub in the district.”