Firecrackers worth around Rs 125 crore were used on the Diwali evening across the state. Notably, traders purchase the festive products in bulk from Sivakasi, a town in Tamil Nadu known as the “Fireworks Capital of India”.Firecracker Dealer Association president, Pradeep Kumar, in Ludhiana said while it was difficult to give out the exact figures from all districts, the estimate was in the Rs 125 crore ballpark.“Ludhiana is a major hub and firecrackers are hugely popular here. This season, crackers worth over Rs 45 crore were burst in the district alone. Amritsar and Jalandhar are the other two districts where the figure was high, around Rs 25 to 30 crore each,” he said, adding that a distinct single-string cracker was sold for a whopping Rs 20,000.“Anar is another popular choice, with special pieces fetching up to Rs 1,500-2,000 each,” he revealed.Meanwhile, crackers were burst across Ludhiana and other parts well past the prescribed timings. Residents in Ludhiana reported hearing the bursting of crackers till around 1.30 am. “The intensity came down only after 1-2 am but crackers were being burst all the way till 3 am,” said a local resident.The time restrictions were put in place to keep a check on air and noise pollution. Local authorities had put in place a system to ensure proper implementation of the orders rules were flouted at large.While no official figure was available for Patiala, sources privy to the industry’s working estimated that firecrackers worth around Rs 20 crore were sold officially at stalls allocated by the administration. The figures do not account for unauthorised stalls and local shopkeepers selling crackers without licenses.Bathinda saw firecracker sales reach up to nearly Rs 15 crore this Diwali, according to market estimates. Residents in different parts also noted that crackers were being burst well past midnight.A dealer, Vishal Shalley, said, “Diwali is the biggest day for our business. The business would have been much better if more days were allotted to us and things were more streamlined.”(With inputs from Aman Sood and Archit Watts)