THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With election campaigning at its peak, candidates have encroached on even the footpaths to put up hoardings and flex boards causing huge inconvenience to the public.
The district administration, which is responsible for restricting usage of flex, has been turning a blind eye towards this menace.
Though strict instructions were given to political parties to restrict flex boards which cause environment pollution, none of the candidates are ready to comply.
The revenue authorities receive a minimum of 20 complaints regarding flex menace daily but are unable to take action owing to limited resources.
A top revenue official said they had only two or three squads, each comprising only four officials which were unable to reach everywhere.
“To add to our troubles, a lot of fake complaints have also been coming in. Since our officials are totally engaged in election duty, their squad work has taken a hit,” said the official.
The official said the squad had been slapping notice on private parties. “We cannot simply remove the flex boards if it’s in a private property. So, notices are being served,” the official added.
The authorities are also clueless on disposing the flex boards being removed daily.
“Political parties are ready to take them back. Currently, we are dumping them at village office or revenue office premises,” the official added.
