Special Tribunal Act on Plachimada

By A Satish 22 Feb 2011 07:08:24 AM IST http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/plaachimada-special-tribunal-bill-to-havemixed/250328.html

Special Tribunal Bill to have mixed impact

PALAKKAD: The Plaachimada Coca Cola Victims Relief and Compensation Claims Special Tribunal Bill-2011 to be placed before the Assembly on Tuesday will have a positive and negative impact on the industrial sector in the state. The Bill is intended to make the Hindusthan CocaCola Beverages Ltd company liable to pay compensation to the local people for ground water depletion and discharging toxic effluents. While the people in and around Plaachimada would welcome it, the corporates in the state fear that they could also be booked under the same charges, which in a way would discourage investments in the state. Coca Cola is a beverage which has manufacturing units in many states in the country as well as nations around the globe. Naturally, it is the same ingredients, facility and processes which go into its making. If the LDF Government is correct in its findings, naturally other states should also reach the same conclusion. Kanjikode, which is the second largest industrial hub in the state, is home to the production unit of multinational Pepsi Inc. and more than a dozen beer units, including the United Breweries Group.

‘Company caused damage’

“This is a glorious day in my life. The Government has decided to pass the Bill which was drafted based on the report of the high power committee headed by me. The preamble of the Bill itself states that the operations of the company in Plaachimada have caused environmental degradation and depletion of ground water. The sludge released by the Coke unit has a high content of cadmium and lead which damaged the health of the local people,” additional chief secretary K Jayakumar told Express.

Jayakumar headed the high-power committee which looked into the damage caused by the operations of the Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages in Plaachimada. The report was submitted to the government based on which the Water Resources Department had prepared a draft bill which was approved by the Cabinet last week. Jayakumar added that the government had to constitute the Special Tribunal since the Supreme Court itself had upheld the constitution of a tribunal of this nature in Rajasthan. “I can comment on the bill only after knowing the terms of reference of the Bill. The report of the high-power committee headed by K Jayakumar has touched upon the damage caused to agricultural crops, depletion of ground water and how the functioning of the company affected the health of the people. We will have to see whether these aspects have been included in the terms of reference,” said Janata Dal Democratic(Socialist) secretary-general and former MLA K Krishnankutty who was in the forefront of the agitation against the Cola unit, when he was in the LDF. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------By Express News Service 22 Feb 2011 07:14:34 AM IST http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/money-power-split-anti-cola-outfits/250331.html

Money, power split anti-Cola outfits

PALAKKAD: Over the years, there have been splits in the anti Coca-Cola organisations spearheading the agitation against Hindustan Coca-Cola Bevarages Pvt Ltd at Plaachimada. It was the differences on contentious issues like the funds collected and

power sharing that caused the splits. As the Plaachimada issue gained international attention, the agitators began to get money from many sources and also hogged the limelight. Many of the in-house meetings convened by these organisations ended on a stormy note after the closure of the factory with many members demanding transparency in its accounts. The catapulting of Mylamma, a Adivasi woman, to the national mainstream as the leader of the villagers of Plaachimada and the description by the national media that she single-handedly led the agitation against the Cola unit were not taken kindly by other organisations. The death of Mylamma brought the differences among various organisations to the fore. The body of Mylamma was kept in the open before the Coke factory at Plaachimada for many hours. Currently, there are half-a-dozen anti-Cola organisations in the state.

---------------------------------------------------------Damages sought for harm caused by cola unit

http://www.thehindu.com/2011/02/22/stories/2011022251520500.htm

Staff Reporter

PALAKKAD: The Perumatty grama panchayat, which won a legal battle against CocaCola at Plachimada, has sought compensation from the company for permanent damage done to groundwater, soil, agriculture and livestock in the village. Grama panchayat president K. Suresh told The Hindu here on Monday that the State government's proposed Bill (expected to be introduced in the Assembly on February 23), seeking to constitute a tribunal to secure compensation from the company, “should have provisions to extract adequate compensation for the permanent damage caused in the Chittur taluk.” Many people in the Perumatty and the Pattacherry panchayats have serious health problems, he said. “The sludge supplied to the farmers as fertilizer damaged the soil and groundwater. So farmers should be paid compensation for the permanent loss,” Mr. Suresh said.

Panchayat's rights

The new legislation should ensure that panchayats are given the right to issue licence and take action on violations ‘as stipulated in the Kerala Panchayati Raj Act.' The Perumatty panchayat fought its legal battle against Coca Cola to uphold its rights under the Act,” Mr. Suresh said. “The operations of the company caused groundwater depletion. It made water toxic. This will make an area uninhabitable,” K. Krisnhnankutty, former MLA, said. Plachimada Solidarity Committee convener R. Ajayan said the company should be prosecuted on 10 counts. “The tribunal should work in a time-bound manner and provide compensation to affected people without delay,” Mr. Ajayan said. S. Faize, a member of the High Power Committee constituted by the State government, said they had made a broad assessment of the damage.