THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ban of flex boards by the High Court has not dissuaded the political parties or other enterprises in erecting hoardings at the main thoroughfares in the city, much to the chagrin of the corporation officials. “There has been no let up in the placing of flex boards although there has been a ban on them. Flex boards are being removed on a daily basis by our team and political parties are the main violators,” says Vincent E, revenue officer and the nodal officer in charge of implementing the High Court's order in the district.
The Kerala High Court had also banned the use of flex for campaigning throughout the state in view of the Lok Sabha elections. Meanwhile, the cracking down on illegal flex boards began in the month of October following an order by justice Devan Ramachandran to remove all unauthorised flex boards and advertisements that were set up.
A total of 83,718 flex boards has been removed since October from the city. In all, a fine of Rs 8.15 lakh has been levied from the various defaulters this financial year, a corporation official said. “We are slapping fines on the defaulters and criminal cases are being filed against repeat offenders. When we remove the boards, it becomes easy for other enterprises to claim the space and erect their flex board,” Vincent said.
Although hoardings have been banned on the stretch from Museum to East Fort, being one of the main thoroughfares in the city, advertisement boards pop up on a frequent basis. With the ban on flex boards, only advertisements using bio-degradable materials will get the nod from the Corporation. The disposal of the flex boards confiscated is also an issue. "An agency has been assigned to the disposal of the flex boards. Some are being reused to make grow bags while the rest is being taken to Bangalore for recycling,” he added.