Mysore, April 29, 2013;
With the restrictions imposed by the election commission of India, the publicity industry in the state is not able to generate surplus business. But the environmentalists and heritage lovers are happy over restrictions imposed by the commission as the city is free from flex and other publicity materials.
It was mandatory for candidates to obtain permission from election officers to fix flexi-boards and for using buntings and banners. The plastic banners besides election materials usage was completely banned by the commission in the assembly elections.
According to leaders of political parties, getting permission was not easy. Displaying banners and other publicity material without permission attracts action. The police and corporation authorities would immediately remove any unauthorized publicity material.
In view of this strict imposition of the rules by the election commission, there was no demand for publicity materials now a days, said ganesh a printing press owner in the in the city.
According to conservative estimates at present, the publicity industry was likely to lose over Rs 300 crores, besides affecting thousands families across the state, which is dependent on it.
According to election material suppliers, they have lost the opportunity to make money during election period by way of taking order from various political parties for making publicity through banners, posters, buntings, Felix-boards and cut outs and other kinds of materials.
An owner of arts and crafts, digital printing unit in the city Mr. Manjunath said there were more then 300 digital printing units in Bangalore alone and nearly 1000 across the state. He also pointed out that many unit owners were finding it difficult to pay wages to workers and machines were lying idle. Owners of the units would meet soon to plan the future course of action, he added.
Even the tailors, carpenters, and workers who fix cut out and flexi boards have also been affected, according to s Chandrasekhar, owner of Mysore signs digital printers.
He said, he used to earn Rs one lakh a day during the elections, now he is finding it difficult to pay salaries to his staff and looking for alternative resources to meet the expenses.
Some of the digital printers have invested huge some on purchase of new machines for election purpose, however, they are finding it difficult to repay the loan to the banks, the owners of the these units said.
According to police department circles, they have some sort of relief since, the restrictions of huge cutouts and other banners and buntings, as at least one to two police personnel’s have to watch these publicity materials of various political parties.
