VELLORE: Fed up with the gross indifference meted out by political parties towards the regulations on installing flex boards, the corporation has now decided to strictly implement the flex board regulation, officials said.
Corporation officials will go on for rounds once in three days to check any disparity. Boards installed without permission would be immediately removed, officials warned. While political parties arguably are the largest consumers of flex boards using them to put up giant hoardings of their leaders and to announce mega party meets, they altogether ignore the corporation’s regulations on its usage. They do not seek prior permission of the corporation and even refuses to pay the prescribed fee for installing them, officials said. However, corporation officials here lauded the general public for being compliant with the regulation.
Flex sheets are widely used by public to put up notices announcing everything from an upcoming wedding ceremony to obituary. Officials said that the Flex Board permission number should be printed at the corner of the banner, or else just a paper printed with the permission number should be pasted in the board.
Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Licensing of Hoardings and Levy and Collection of Advertisement Tax Rules was originally formed in the year 2003. The new Government made some amendments to the act in the year 2011. The regulation allows the corporation to collect a fee of `200 for putting up flex boards near state and national highways. It also places various restrictions on placing boards near roads in a haphazard manner.
According to Corporation Commissioner Seeni Ajmal Khan, the Corporation receives about five applications for using flex boards a day. But, the number of new boards put up daily far exceeds the official numbers.