Coke denies charge of water depletion
As the agitation against the Coca Cola plant at Plachimada in Kerala erupted afresh, the soft drink major denied depletion of groundwater.
By PTI |
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the agitation against the Coca Cola plant at Plachimada in Kerala erupted afresh, the soft drink major denied depletion of groundwater in the area due to the plant which had been non-operational since 2004.
Adding a new dimension to the issue, a tribal rights group, which was part of the anti-Cola stir in the beginning, came out against the fresh round of agitation, alleging it was meant to "hoodwink the poor people in the area."
"The plant in Plachimada has not been operational since March 9, 2004 and no water was being extracted from the ground since that date", a statement Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Ltd said here.
Independent scientific studies on the issue had found the charge of groundwater depletion "baseless", it said.
Results of the studies are already in the public domain and have also been considered by the High Court of Kerala and the Central Groundwater Board in concluding that there is no evidence to attribute water scarcity in the area to the operation of the plant," it said.
The leader of the Adivasi Samrakshna Saghhom Eloor Swaminathan told reporters in Palakkad that the ongoing agitation was not going to help poor people in the area as the plant has virtually been non-functional for the last few years.
Adding a new dimension to the issue, a tribal rights group, which was part of the anti-Cola stir in the beginning, came out against the fresh round of agitation, alleging it was meant to "hoodwink the poor people in the area."
"The plant in Plachimada has not been operational since March 9, 2004 and no water was being extracted from the ground since that date", a statement Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Ltd said here.
Independent scientific studies on the issue had found the charge of groundwater depletion "baseless", it said.
Results of the studies are already in the public domain and have also been considered by the High Court of Kerala and the Central Groundwater Board in concluding that there is no evidence to attribute water scarcity in the area to the operation of the plant," it said.
The leader of the Adivasi Samrakshna Saghhom Eloor Swaminathan told reporters in Palakkad that the ongoing agitation was not going to help poor people in the area as the plant has virtually been non-functional for the last few years.
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