KOCHI: In protest against the Kochi Corporation’s failure in presenting the actual number of hoardings and flex boards in the city, o zpposition councillors led by the CPM have decided to launch a survey in 74 divisions to identify hoardings and flex boards erected illegally.The Opposition’s move comes in the wake of the corporation repeatedly ignoring its two-year-old demand to give details of the illegal hoardings and flexes in the city.
“After building and property tax, the major chunk of corporation’s revenue comes from advertisement tax. But in Kochi, the advertisement revenue has touched a new low. The situation is such that anyone can erect advertisement and flex boards without paying a single rupee as tax. Though we asked the corporation to present the exact number of illegal hoardings, the authorities failed to come up with details. We are committed to the public. Hence we took up the task to identify illegal hoardings and flexes,” said K J Antony, Corporation Opposition leader.
As per the plan, the Opposition will conduct the survey with the help of councillors, Kudumbashree workers, NGOs and retired engineers. “We have constituted a team headed by councillors. They will be entrusted with the task of collecting data from the area they have been assigned. The survey will be conducted in various zones including Vyttila, Edappally, Fort Kochi, Mattancherry and Ernakulam central. We have also sought details from the Hoardings and Flex Boards Association which had erected advertisements after obtaining the required licences,” the Opposition leader said.
According to the Opposition leader, the survey will be taken up after the upcoming council session. “We will give a final chance to the Mayor to table the number of illegal flex boards and hoardings in the next council. If the Mayor fails to do so, we will go ahead with the drive,” Antony said.
Earlier, the Opposition had taken out similar protests when the corporation failed to present the actual number of vehicles used for transporting garbage generated in the city to the Brahmapuram plant. During the subsequent inspection conducted by the Opposition councillors, it was found that several vehicles were lying abandoned at various places owing to the lethargic approach of the Corporation authorities.
Meanwhile, Mayor Soumini Jain said a directive has been given to the engineering wing of the corporation to prepare a list of flex boards and hoardings. “We are also planning to conduct an adalat in this regard,” the Mayor said.
City yet to get dedicated space for advertisements
Kochi: Earlier, the corporation had tried to earmark dedicated space for putting up advertisements and hoardings. The civic body had sought the help of a Bengaluru-based agency to identify suitable locations in the city to erect hoardings. However, the Corporation failed to discuss the suggestions put forward by the agency in the council. According to a source in the civic body, the agency had identified places where hoardings can be erected without posing a hindrance to pedestrian and vehicular movement. The corporation move to identify dedicated space for hoardings came after the state government and the High Court ordered the civic body to remove illegal flex boards in the city before October 15.