Over 4,800 employees are earning a living from this business
Flex boards showcasing election candidates at Thiruvananthapuram. (Photo: DC)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The flex manufacturing industry in the state is up in arms against the move of the Suchitwa Mission to minimise the use of plastic flexes during elections. According to flex manufacturers, over 60 per cent of flex business happens during elections.
There are around 1,800 flex manufacturers in the state and their investment is worth Rs 128 crore. Over 4,800 employees are earning a living from this business.
State general secretary of Kerala Printers Association V. Vijayan alleged that it’s unfair to ban flex boards alone.
“Instead of going after the flex industry alone, the government should take step to ban plastic, that is the real threat. The government is planning to ban flex industry in a phased manner but after withdrawing the ban order last year, no step was taken to introduce the ban. It’s a huge industry with an average annual turnover of Rs 80 crore,” said Mr Vijayan.
He said that if the government is going for a total ban, we need alternatives. “The manufactures have invested crores in the units. The government should compensate us if they want to bring in a blanket ban on flexes,” said Mr Vijayan.
He said that flex boards are not dumped around as claimed by the authorities and environmentalists. “People reuse them in many ways and till day we have never heard any complaint in this regard,” he added.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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