The High Court verdict on Coke

Recently the Kerala High Court told the Coke authorities that they can consider the plant in Kerala open even if the local panchayat does not renew the licence. Many people suggested that the courts have gone anti-people because they did not issue the order they wanted to hear. But then why did the Court issue such an order ?

The court allowed the plant to reopen after an expert committee concluded that drawing 500,000 liters of groundwater (5% of the available water in the area) a day would not cause drought as claimed by protesters. According to the company management, the plant was drawing 460,000 liters of water a day at the time of its closure and water supplies continued to decline even after the facility was shut down a year ago.It said the panchayat made its decision without the benefit of any scientific review of the plant’s actual impact on the local aquifer.
The court also said the panchayat was not authorised nor did it have the expertise to consider allegations that the wastewater sludge from the plant were contaminating the land, or that company’s products in India contained pesticide residues.The judge ruled that any private person or company has the right to extract groundwater within reasonable limits. According to the company, the maximum groundwater usage at the Kerala plant has not exceeded 460,000 liters per day.[Court allows Coke to reopen Kerala plant]

If there is proper evidence that the plant is causing harm to people, it should be shutdown legally. But here people in their zeal for fighting anything American and anything that can generate employment are using emotional arguments. These don’t fly in a court of law.
Update: Guess who is going to benefit from this judgement? – The Communists, of course. They are going to start a water theme park in Parassinikadavu in Kannur district and face the same allegation as Coke.

The CPI(M) has been leading the protests against the Coca-Cola plant in Plachimada, Paalakkad, on the grounds that the soft drink company is exploiting the area

6 thoughts on “The High Court verdict on Coke

  1. So many blind anti-communists in the blogosphere!Please checkout http://questfeatures.blogspot.com/2005/06/rain-or-no-rain-water-for-coke.html
    Now,
    its very much clear that all these anti-leftist bloggers views the life in india and else where (only)through TV or internet in his/her air conditioned house/office.
    mostly every line in these blogs are much cliched words that frequently emit frm an avg middle class in kerala who think left parties r the sole reason for the so called backwardness of kerala.
    at the very talk of development these amul babies who lived untill now with in the well protected middle class security ,talk abt karnataka , chennai and andhra where govts. voraciously running through the speedy development process inviting all kinds of
    investment in their state so to make their state
    developed …Are they really developed?????????? to what extend their development has percolated to the poor ?? it HAS started trickilng through the fly overs and multiplex soon will reach the poor , with in ,some 100 years …as per the development notion of the so called development savvy technocrats….
    wht abt living standard of the poor in these states..their standard of education.. sanitation ..health care ..infant mortality rate ..no of drop out , child labour etc…They have every thing..INDUSTRIES , VISIONED POLITICIANS,NO CITU-INTUC,NO STRIKES …BUT
    THEY CANT FEED A MUTHU KUMAR OR A RAJALAKSHMI OR
    SHARAVAN..THEY CANT PROVIDE THEM EDUCATION , HEALTH
    CARE, GOOD SANITATION, CANT PREVENT DROP OUTS FRM
    SCHOOLS ……SOME THING WE ACHIEVED MUCH BEFORE THESE
    GOVTS ..YES WE DISTRIBUTED OUR ACHIEVEMENT TO THE POOR
    TO THE NEEDY…..WE HAVE DEVELOPED A LOT COMPARABLE TO
    THE STANDARD OF LIVING OF US people..
    ONCE AGAIN TO THE GENEROUS , MAGNANIMOUS VISIONARIES
    OUR DEAR TECHNOCRATS…. U WANT DEVELOPMENT… JUST DO
    ONE THING
    ” BREAK THE AIR CONDITIONED GLASS CABINS OF UR
    OFFICES.. COME OUT OF IT…OPEN UR EYES WIDES…SEE
    THE STREETS IN UR HI-TECH CITIES ….SEE THEIR MUD
    HOUSES ..SEE THIER UNDER NOURISHED POT BELLID
    CHILD…SEE THE WOMEN WHO WORK FOR A MERE RS 40 A
    DAY..SEE THE STARK HARSH REALITY …..THEN TALK ABOUT
    THE REAL DEVELOPMENT WE NEED AND HW CAN WE ACHEIVE IT”
    PLS DONT DESECRATE THE WORD REVOLUTION IT HAS MUCH
    MORE MEANING..IT CONTAIN SWEAT AND BLOOD OF MANY WHO
    SACRIFICED THEMSELVES FOR THIE FELLOW BEING..

  2. Silly Indian,
    And so many communists in Kerala who only see anti-everything in world.
    it is clear that you view life in India through reports in Deshabhimani or your air-conditioned office in India or elsewhere.
    everyline produce by communists are cliched words dripping with hypocricsy. they will be happy getting rich themselves while preventing other people from getting rich. They have 40 crore worth assets and won’t allow anyone else to generate employment. The leaders visit Israel asking for donations and then oppose Israel in public. This is one party which is anti-national as well. The General Secretary of the party meets with terrorists wanted by interpol.
    What did you have when you grew up ? Farex ? It is sad you could not have Amul. It is very tasty.
    If Kerala is so developed like United States why does it rank #1 in suicides? If development has percolated to poor and everyone is happy then why end your lives like this.
    For all this literacy the number of sex scandals that come out Kerala is amazing. If standard of living is so high, then explain that.
    YOU SHOULD GET OUT OF YOUR GLASS CAGE AND VISIT OTHER STATES AND SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE CAME OUT OF POVERTY BECAUSE OF DEVELOPMENT. USING UPPERCASE LETTERS IS ACTUALLY GREAT.

  3. honestly, i dont see the bad thing about having a/c’s, we live in india it gets hot, getting a fan,cooler or a/c would be the sensible thing, especially when they have become relatively cheaper.
    Its not that the communists are bad, because in my opinion no politician or political party in India is good, but the issue here is hypocrisy, saying smething else in Delhi and then doing the opposite in Kerela or west bengal. They should be exposed for that and there is no place in India with the standard of living comparable to U.S , get your facts right. We had nearly 45 year of socialist policies followed in India, but we have grown more in the past 14 years (since 1991) then those 44 years. In anycase nice name

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *