Trivandrum: Kerala will soon enact a new law to ban the use of flex and plastics for making publicity material, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said on Wednesday.
“As the first step, we have decided to ask the authorities to remove all publicity materials which depict me or my colleagues, made in flex or plastic material. They have been asked to then remove all publicity materials for which permission has not been obtained,” Mr Chandy told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting.
“The publicity materials put up with government permission will be removed only after the sanctioned period expires. No more permission shall will be given for such material,” said Mr Chandy.
Flex and plastic are widely used across the state in publicity hoardings which are erected mostly on the public roads without any proper permission system or any method of regulation to exercise a control over such mushrooming publicity banners, that puts the entire state in very bad light.
At many places such hoardings are put up by the political parties for giving publicity for their leaders and even Business communities in Kerala also install their hoardings of such material in illegal manner to promote their business, brands and services.
Green activists have been up in arms against these materials which are not environment friendly taking very long to decay or non degradable.
” We are bringing out a law against the use of such materials and it would cover every aspect,” “The Bill will regulate flex boards, as well as plastics,” Chief Minister Oommen Chandy added while briefing media persons after a meeting of the Cabinet that took this and a few other decisions on Wednesday.
It may be noted that the Madras High Court has imposed a complete ban on publicity hoardings in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. With this ban, the future of OOH medium in Kerala has hit a road block and they may have to go back to the outdated painting concept in hoardings that might not give the desired look and feel that the modern day digital printed banners give.
