A day after Diwali, traders blame

While retailers repent over their leftover stock, wholesale traders are an equally worried lot as they, too, recorded a 40 per cent dip in sales this year.

8220;I anticipated the dip and ordered less crackers this Diwali, and even those were not sold. People refrained from buying deafening crackers this year but chakris were in demand,8221; said Sunil Malik of Laxmi Fireworks in Sector 34.

8220;While the global financial crisis is the basic reason, people also refrained from burning crackers owing to the growing anti-cracker campaign. Also, the barricade constructed by the police in Sector 22, discouraged many people from entering the market,8221; said Arvind Jain, president, Market Association, Sector 22.