Kochi: The deadline set by the Kerala High Court to remove flagpoles and masts from public places ends on Thursday. But in many places, the steps to remove these have not made much progress.
Meanwhile, the revenue department has said that directives were issued to remove the flagpoles within November 22 at one's own expense. The Collectors had also been asked to get the remaining ones removed by the district administration. A directive was also given to levy the expenses incurred from the parties concerned.
The district authorities have said that steps have been initiated to remove the flagpoles along roadsides in the Thiruvananthapuram district. There are over 3,000 flagpoles and masts in Kollam district, as per the report submitted to the government.
In Kottayam district, flagpoles have not been removed from anywhere. There are 3,639 illegal flagpoles in the Idukki district. In Alappuzha district, only very few have been removed. In the Ernakulam district, illegal flagpoles number 6,315.
Flagpoles can be seen at all the major junctions in Thrissur. In Palakkad district, there are 2916 flagpoles across 88 panchayats. No steps have been taken to remove the 2,871 flagpoles in the Kozhikode district. The situation is no different in Malappuram and Wayanad either.
The Assistant District Magistrate stated that 5,203 flagpoles have to be removed in Kannur district. There are reportedly 570 flagpoles in the Kasaragod district. Till three days ago, only 34 of these were removed.
