Political parties, including the CPI(M), CPI, BJP and Congress, and some trade unions are facing legal proceedings for illegally putting up flags and display boards in public places in the city. Around 15 cases have been registered against political parties and individuals for putting up flags in public places. The area near the Ernakulam Town Hall seems to be the preferred location for political parties.
The civic body had been booking cases against those violating the court directive regarding display of publicity material and flex boards, said Corporation Secretary A.S. Anuja.
The offenders are slapped with a fine of ₹6,000 each and the cases referred to the police stations concerned. It was the police who should take the cases further, said an official of the Town Planning Department of the local body.
The repeated intervention of the Kerala High Court and the clean-up drive by the civic authorities have failed to curb the practice of display of boards, flex sheets and other publicity material in the city.
Acting tough against the violations, the Kerala High Court had issued as many as five judicial orders to curb the visual and environmental pollution caused by flex boards and other publicity material.
Several cases of unauthorised display of such material had come to the notice of the civic body, said town planning standing committee chairperson Shiny Mathew. Though there was respite in the weeks following the High Court order, the tendency has resurfaced. The officials would continue to act against the violations, she added.
During the clean-up drive, nearly 95% of the material was removed. However, the tendency had not died down, she said.
On a positive note, some individuals and organisations have approached the civic body seeking permission for the display of such publicity materials. In such cases, the organisers will be allowed specific locations and time periods for the display. After expiry of the time period allotted to them, they would have to remove the material on their own, said Ms. Mathew.