Respected PM Sir,
My name is Vipin Krishnan and am a resident of Pune for the last 3 years. I hail from Kerala and am an engineering graduate. I work in private sector.
I am writing to bring to your notice the issue of Environmental hazards Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC or Vinyl) possess. I would like to specially highlight the PVC used for Flex Printing which is very cheap, accessible and widespread now a days. You must be aware that PVC is non-biodegradable. PVC used for Flex Printing has negligible reuse and is mostly discarded after use. They are printed on one-side only and cannot be recycled.
The use of Flex Prints / Boards has risen exponentially in the last decade. The cost of per sq.ft. flex material and printed banners has gone down to a level that it is now accessible for all. Added to the fact is the ever rising number of printing outlets mushrooming every day. These are so widely that it is impossible to walk even 10m without coming across a flex banner.
Using them for advertisements, name boards for establishments are or can be considered medium term to long term. But use of flex boards for short term uses like political campaigns, festival campaigns, wishes that has a very short shell life is very dangerous as these are discarded very soon. On festival times like Diwali, Ramzan, Christmas etc every street puts up multiple such banners wishing people. These banners soon make way for new ones.
Animals die when these PVC is ingested. There are a lot of carcinogenic chemicals that goes into the manufacturing of these materials which possesses direct health hazards to not only human but to all living beings and environment. All public places are clogged with Flex banners. Road sides, medians, Traffic posts, electric posts, trees and what not. It is not only polluting the environment but also our public places. These cannot happen without the support of the Executive and Polity as you will know. We have a clear cut directive from the Judiciary banning use of advertisements in public places and roads are strictly prohibited. But due to political pressure or appeasement, Executive is not able to execute these laws.
Sir, I am not against people wishing each other on festivals. In fact, these are the very thread of our social being that holds us together. But the ways chosen to do so if hampers our nature and pollutes our public places, this cannot be let to go on forever without being regulated. It can be argued that regulating the use of Flex banners will affect the livelihood of thousands, it should not be forgotten that Flex printing has directly affected livelihood of more people who used to earn their bread by writing on walls.
Sir, I suggest to have a very high tax on the use of Flex materials and Flex Printing Machinery that it be made less accessible for general public. We cannot ban this, but we can make sure it be used only on a much regulated manner. Advertisements can be displayed on licensed spaces, not on roads and public places. Public should not be encouraged to dig roads and road sides to erect banners. Strict guidelines be issued to Printing houses that employs Flex printing machinery. Import / Purchase of such machinery be heavily regulated that this field becomes less attractive for people who want to make quick money.
We have a responsibility to Mother Earth which has always provided to our needs in abundance. Polluting the nature is the worst way of being thankful to what it provides for our necessities. Flex boards are and will never be our necessity but only a menace.
I write to you in good hope and faith that you will not treat this issue lightly. You have given us hope with Swach Bharat. Our Bharat can never be swach if we continue to tolerate and allow people to misuse a technology that threads through a thin line of utility and bio-hazard.
Thank you for your notice and further actions.
Yours truly,
Vipin Krishnan
(Note: This mail was uploaded in PM's Online Grievance portal on April 17, 2016. Got an official reply from the Director, Ministry of Urban Development Mr. Shailendra Vikram Singh on 18th May 2016.)
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