The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Poll campaign boards go hi-tech

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 20, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Poll campaign boards go hi-tech

Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As campaigning for the elections to local bodies picks up in the city, political parties are increasingly resorting to the use of plastic materials to create festoons, banners, display boards and other publicity material.

The revolution which altered the face of conventional outdoor advertising across the city has made its mark on the election campaign. Digital printing technology and new age materials like polymer and vinyl have imparted a hi-tech look to campaign material.

What started off as a technique confined to high-spending corporate advertisers is today filtering down to political parties. The ubiquitous banners used for public functions and the painted boards preferred by party candidates and supporters are slowly making way for computerised graphics, notwithstanding the alarm sounded by environmental groups.

Printing houses in the city are flooded with orders.

Digital printing

Digital printing is expensive but most political parties prefer the technology because the quality of production imparts a life-like appearance to pictures.

A vinyl sheet with computer- generated images costs at least five times that of a painted board or banner which needs only a few cans of paint, brushes and a metal board.

The technology invasion threatens to displace the band of traditional painters who eke out a living by using their skills to give life and shape to advertisements.

Even the most gifted painter would find it impossible to compete with computer-generated graphics. Apart from the range of colours and shades, vinyl sheets also have the advantage of being produced in any length. Another advantage is the ease of installation and the ability to shift an advertisement from one place to another.

Painters employed by conventional printers handling campaign jobs have begun to feel the heat of the technology invasion but they feel that the price difference is too large for a total switchover to digital boards. They, however, admit that business is increasingly dull.

Environmental hazards

Additives used in the manufacture of polymers and plastics are known to cause health problems, including cancer. Disposal of the non-biodegradable waste is another problem.

For the civic administration which is already struggling to cope with mounds of plastic waste left behind after the Onam festivities, the use of synthetic materials for the election campaign could emerge as a major problem.

With most plastics taking up to 100 years to break down, they cannot be considered for normal solid waste disposal systems like composting.

Plastic breaks down during recycling, releasing carcinogenic substances.

Obviously, concern for the environment does not yet seem to be on the agenda of political parties.

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