Mission urges Election Commission to take measures to minimise use of flex
Flex boards showcasing election candidates at Thiruvananthapuram. (Photo: DC)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the wake of the upcoming local elections, Suchitwa Mission — the agency under the state government to provide technical assistance to ensure sanitation — will hold talks with the heads of religious organisations and political parties to minimise the use of plastic and flex hoardings for campaigning.
An average of 600 to 700 tonnes plastic and low quality flex boards are expected to be generated during the elections.
Suchitwa Mission has already urged the state Election Commission to take measures to minimise the usage of flex boards.
However, enforcement is going to be tough as flex boards are much cheaper than eco-friendly cloth banners and paper hoardings that are degradable.
A top official of Suchitwa Mission told DC that the ‘Freedom from Waste’ campaign was launched by the mission. It is planning to launch a grassroots- level campaign against plastic wastes, including flex boards.
“We have trained around 15, 000 volunteers to run the campaign and we will intimate our district offices to hold awareness campaigns at local levels,” said the official.
A 6m x 6m cloth banner would cost around Rs 1,200 while plastic flex board would cost only Rs 350. “It’s going to be a tough task for us and low quality flex boards could pose serious environmental and health issues. Recycling of this flex would be more hazardous,” said the official.
The mission is planning to get the help of scrap dealers in the state capital to deal with the large quantity of flex boards generated.
“There are around 700 scrap dealers here and there are companies in Tamil Nadu that are ready to accept flex boards in large quantities. We are in touch with these scrap dealers to ensure that plastic flex boards are carted away from here,” said the official.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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