ALAPPUZHA: Chengannur, which was the scene of the poll battle for over two months, now wears the scars-the flex boards in every nook and cranny. The political parties had said that they would remove them as soon as the poll was over, but so far there is no sign of anyone fulfilling the promise. Nearly 90 per cent of the campaign materials consisted of flex boards and banners, though the government has been pushing to implement the green protocol.
While the LDF had set up flex boards in front of loyalists' residences, the UDF and the NDA used up every available space in the constituency to erect boards with the beaming face of the candidates. There were a total of 17 contestants in the fray. Mr Viswambara Panicker, convenor, LDF campaign committee, said they will collect all the flex boards and banners and use them to manufacture 'growbags' as promised during the campaign.
Mr M.R. Raghunath, a resident of Peringalipuzha, Budhanoor panchayat, said that no flex boards had been removed from his area so far. "Big flexes put up at the centre of the nearby paddy field remain there still. Many flexes at our junction were lifted by the local people themselves for their private needs," he said.
Mr Shefin Kowdiar, a human rights activist, said political parties were not bothered about the impact of these non-degradable materials. People burn heaps of such materials after the election without realising the harmful effect. The authorities must take strong action to remove the flexes," he said. A revenue official said that they had asked the political parties to observe the green protocol and that they had promised to abide by it. "We hope they will walk the talk," he said.
During the local body elections in October 2011, the State Pollution Control Board had recommended a ban on flex boards and banners stating that poly vinyl chloride used for making the flex was not biodegradable. As a result, the State Election Commission had banned the use of flex boards for campaigning. But a Division Bench of the High Court later quashed the order issued by the commission. Urging the political parties to cut down on the use of flexes, environmentalists have said that the presence of chlorine in PVC makes its hazardous.
