Thiruvananthapuram: Politicians who campaign against flex boards use them during elections as they are cheaper than the alternative materials. “Campaigners refuse to use the boards made of cloth and canvas owing to the high cost,” according to Mr Ravi Sanghamitra, secretary, All-Kerala Advertising Industries Association.
“Cloth and canvas boards are environment-friendly,” Mr Sanghamitra said. There are more than 1,800 units engaged in flex printing. For establishing even a small unit, machinery worth Rs 30 lakh is needed. Larger units have machinery worth Rs 1.50 crore, sources said. There will be 5,000 to 6,000 flex waste in each district after campaigning adding to around 70,000 flex waste throughout the state. This would be an environmental disaster.
Mr Sanghamitra said that they had invested much money in creating infrastructure for thei business. “We will wait till people change their attitude towards cloth and canvas. Flex business is on the decline following increased environment awareness,” he said. However, Mr Varnapriyan who designs boards for various events said that people go for flex boards for their durability. Cloth boards get damaged in rain wasting the investment,” Mr Varnapriyan said.
