|
Indian coke plants faces wrath of protesters { July 17 2005 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.ndtv.com/money/showbusinessstory.asp?slug=Coke+unit+faces+protest&id=26159http://www.ndtv.com/money/showbusinessstory.asp?slug=Coke+unit+faces+protest&id=26159
Coke plant faces wrath of protestors
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, July 17, 2005 (Gangaikondan, Tamil Nadu):
South India Bottling Company's bottling plant, a unit of multi-national Coca Cola, located at SIPCOT Industrial estate here may not have a smooth take off, even after clearance from Central and state governments because residents are up in arms against possible threats posed by the bottling to their drinking and irrigation water sources.
Posters by local youth clubs, All India Muvendar Munnetra Kazhagam, CPI(ML), CPI(M) have appeared in Gangaikondan condemning the government for "donating the precious water of the perennial Tamirabharani river to the multi-national Coke company".
Local people had submitted a memorandum to the district collector, state pollution control board and the Chief Minister, urging them to cancel the company's licence.
"Allowing the MNC to draw water from the holy Tamirabharani river is an insult to the freedom fighters. The Government should immediately act and cancel the licence for the company," read a poster of a local youth club.
No objection certificate
The President of the Manur Panchayat, Kamsan, where the plant was located claimed the bottling plant was given no objection certificate after it assured that "borewells will not be sunk and they would draw water from the flowing river".
The lay-out for the company was also approved only on the condition that they would not draw huge quantity of water by sinking deep borewells.
"We have taken Rs 65,000 for issuing permission as the local body was starved of money, and we did not even imagine that our NoC will boomerang in the form of protests from various quarters especially the Left parties," he said.
"Apart from assurance on water, the company management promised to dispose the effluents safely and in a way that neither ground water nor the atmosphere is polluted," the village president said.
Claiming that not all local people were against the plant, he said the district was industrially backward and the large industrial estate, which could house about 100 units, was functioning only with one or two industries for years together.
When this correspondent approached company officials for their comments, they refused to give any details about how much water they would draw and what are the chemicals they would use. (PTI)
|
|
