Coke battles Indian village for water

[kayell]

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2003/10/08/story116471.html

Coca-Cola has launched legal action against an Indian village, after residents claimed its bottling plant there is seriously depleting their drinking water.

Coke officials have filed a petition in Kerala state's highest court, seeking an injunction against the threatened licence cancelation by the Perumatty council that controls several villages in the Palghat district.

In its petition, Coca-Cola called the villagers' allegations false and baseless, and said the plant situated in Plachimada village under the Perumatty council is not depleting the ground water level. The company quoted scientific studies purportedly backing its stand.

The state's High Court said it would take up the petition, but set no date for a hearing. Meanwhile, Perumatty council president, A Krishnan, said his office had sent Coke a legal notice to shut down its plant.
more

[Mithras61]

1. So how long will it be...

before "Unca' Dick" Cheney calls the High Court with threats of retalliation if the plant is shut down?



Oh, that's right. Coca-Cola isn't Enron or Oil. Forget I spoke...



But then again, isn't Coca-Cola a big (R) contributor? Didn't they shut their plants in Venezuela down for the duration of the oil companies' "strike"?

Course, they donated (D) as well...

Maybe we can get some "bi-partisan" activity goin' on here!

[Gman]

2. Coke thinks their right to increase shareholder wealth trumps

everyone else's right to have water to live on.

[yankeeinlouisiana]

3. I finally got my

husband to stop drinking Coke and it was over this issue. "Now with Bill Moyers" did a piece on this a couple of weeks ago. It was quite insightful.

[KamaAina]

4. Why in Gawd's name would they build a bottling plant in a dry area?

There are places in India that get over 200 inches (500cm) of rainfall annually. Why not build their bottling plant there and "export" that water to the dry parts of India in the form of Coke products?

Oh, right, they're a huge transnational corporation. They don't have to think...

[david_vincent]

5. There may have been some reasons for that decision

Kerala is internationally known for its accomplishments in many areas such as levels of education (high) and infant mortality (low), atypical gender equity, and progressive regional governance.
NOT making excuses for Coke. Gman has it nailed. Coke has a history of reactionary deeds and policies. There's even a website - I think it's cokewatch.org or something like that.
Remember, American foreign policy is conducted for the benefit of companies like Coke (and Monsanto, and Ford, and Microsoft, etc. ad nauseam).