Activism Discussion: The Ugly American (Corporation) Is Alive & Well - Coca-Cola Exports Bush Policies: What Environmental Degradation?

The Ugly American (Corporation) Is Alive & Well - Coca-Cola Exports Bush Policies: What Environmental Degradation?
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Barney Lyon

2005-08-20 16:33:18 EST

August 10, 2005

Major Rally Against Coca-Cola in India

Communities Oppose Proposed Coca-Cola Bottling Plant

New Delhi (August 10, 2005): In a major show of force, over 1,500
people rallied against a proposed Coca-Cola bottling plant in
Gangaikondan village in Tirunelveli district in southern India on
August 9, 2005.
Communities from across the southern state of Tamilnadu converged in
Gangaikondan to oppose a proposal by South India Bottling Company
Private Limited (SIBCL) - a Coca-Cola franchisee - to set up an Indian
Rupees 280 million (US$ 6.5 million) soft-drinks unit in the village.

Water scarcity is a common problem in the region, and a broad based
movement has emerged to stop the Coca-Cola plant from coming up -
insisting that a bottling plant will further exacerbate water scarcity
in the area. Communities contend that water needs for drinking and
agriculture are not being met, and such a water-intensive factory has
no place in the area.

"We are demanding that Coca-Cola quit India," said T. Fatimson of the
Campaign for Right to Livelihood and Food Security, one of the
organizers of the rally. The rally coincided with the anniversary of
the "Quit India" movement, initiated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942
demanding an immediate end to British colonial rule in India.

Coca-Cola company officials, along with their franchisee, SIBCL, have
refused to make public full details of the bottling plant, in spite of
repeated demands from the community. As a result, many questions remain
unanswered. India Resource Center investigations, for example, have
found that while the franchisee claims to have secured permission for
extracting 500,000 liters of water per day, the state Pollution Control
Board documents have earmarked 900,000 liters for the plant.

Coca-Cola's operations in India have come under intense scrutiny as
many communities are experiencing severe water shortages as well as
contaminated groundwater and soil, directly as a result of Coca-Cola's
bottling operations. A massive movement has emerged across India to
hold the Coca-Cola company accountable for its actions.

Community representatives from Plachimada and Sivagangai, sites of two
successful campaigns against Coca-Cola in India, were also present at
the rally, and a delegation from Gangaikondan had visited Plachimada in
early August. The Plachimada plant, one of Coca-Cola's largest bottling
facilities in India, has remained shut down for seventeen months now
because the village council has refused to renew its license, citing
the company for causing water shortages and pollution.

Various political parties as well as a broad range of groups, such as
the South Tamilnadu Merchants Association and the Tamilnadu Government
Employees Association participated in the rally, indicative of the
growing discontent over Coca-Cola's operations in India.

The Supreme Court of India will be hearing three cases relating to
Coca-Cola's crimes in India, and calls for shutting down Coca-Cola
bottling plants are getting stronger across India, with literally tens
of thousands of community members involved in the campaign to hold the
company accountable. The state government of Kerala has also moved the
Supreme Court of India to challenge Coca-Cola's crimes in India.

"This is a formidable proactive move by the people of Gangaikondan to
oppose the Coca-Cola factory. Communities across India have learnt the
lesson that Coca-Cola causes water scarcity and pollution. Business as
usual will be increasingly hard for the Coca-Cola company in India,"
said Amit Srivastava of the India Resource Center, an international
campaigning organization working closely with local campaigns in India.

Coca-Cola's sales have dropped 14% in the last quarter (April-June) in
India, and the company is undergoing major reorganization in the
country, including a change in the top leadership, in an effort to
contain the growing opposition.

http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2005/1093.html

Stan De SD

2005-08-20 18:21:25 EST

"Barney Lyon" <fountaingrove@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1124569998.373558.176910@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
> August 10, 2005
>
> Major Rally Against Coca-Cola in India
>
> Communities Oppose Proposed Coca-Cola Bottling Plant
>
> New Delhi (August 10, 2005): In a major show of force, over 1,500
> people rallied against a proposed Coca-Cola bottling plant in
> Gangaikondan village in Tirunelveli district in southern India on
> August 9, 2005.
> Communities from across the southern state of Tamilnadu converged in
> Gangaikondan to oppose a proposal by South India Bottling Company
> Private Limited (SIBCL) - a Coca-Cola franchisee - to set up an Indian
> Rupees 280 million (US$ 6.5 million) soft-drinks unit in the village.
>
> Water scarcity is a common problem in the region, and a broad based
> movement has emerged to stop the Coca-Cola plant from coming up -
> insisting that a bottling plant will further exacerbate water scarcity
> in the area. Communities contend that water needs for drinking and
> agriculture are not being met, and such a water-intensive factory has
> no place in the area.

Water scarcity is a problem because there is insufficient local capital to
develop the infrastructure necessary to provide water to a growing
population, yet the typical Indian protectionist mindset is opposed to
letting foreign investors develop it. Hardly Coca-Cola or America's fault
at all...

Barney Lyon

2005-08-20 18:37:00 EST

Stan de SD wrote:
> "Barney Lyon" <fountaingrove@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1124569998.373558.176910@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
> > August 10, 2005
> >
> > Major Rally Against Coca-Cola in India
> >
> > Communities Oppose Proposed Coca-Cola Bottling Plant
> >
> > New Delhi (August 10, 2005): In a major show of force, over 1,500
> > people rallied against a proposed Coca-Cola bottling plant in
> > Gangaikondan village in Tirunelveli district in southern India on
> > August 9, 2005.
> > Communities from across the southern state of Tamilnadu converged in
> > Gangaikondan to oppose a proposal by South India Bottling Company
> > Private Limited (SIBCL) - a Coca-Cola franchisee - to set up an Indian
> > Rupees 280 million (US$ 6.5 million) soft-drinks unit in the village.
> >
> > Water scarcity is a common problem in the region, and a broad based
> > movement has emerged to stop the Coca-Cola plant from coming up -
> > insisting that a bottling plant will further exacerbate water scarcity
> > in the area. Communities contend that water needs for drinking and
> > agriculture are not being met, and such a water-intensive factory has
> > no place in the area.
>
> Water scarcity is a problem because there is insufficient local capital to
> develop the infrastructure necessary to provide water to a growing
> population, yet the typical Indian protectionist mindset is opposed to
> letting foreign investors develop it. Hardly Coca-Cola or America's fault
> at all...

You guys are always good for a yuck.

Coca-Cola is the one who is using up the water and polluting the wells.

Stan De SD

2005-08-20 18:57:13 EST

"Barney Lyon" <fountaingrove@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1124577420.620411.266560@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> Stan de SD wrote:
> > "Barney Lyon" <fountaingrove@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:1124569998.373558.176910@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
> > > August 10, 2005
> > >
> > > Major Rally Against Coca-Cola in India
> > >
> > > Communities Oppose Proposed Coca-Cola Bottling Plant
> > >
> > > New Delhi (August 10, 2005): In a major show of force, over 1,500
> > > people rallied against a proposed Coca-Cola bottling plant in
> > > Gangaikondan village in Tirunelveli district in southern India on
> > > August 9, 2005.
> > > Communities from across the southern state of Tamilnadu converged in
> > > Gangaikondan to oppose a proposal by South India Bottling Company
> > > Private Limited (SIBCL) - a Coca-Cola franchisee - to set up an Indian
> > > Rupees 280 million (US$ 6.5 million) soft-drinks unit in the village.
> > >
> > > Water scarcity is a common problem in the region, and a broad based
> > > movement has emerged to stop the Coca-Cola plant from coming up -
> > > insisting that a bottling plant will further exacerbate water scarcity
> > > in the area. Communities contend that water needs for drinking and
> > > agriculture are not being met, and such a water-intensive factory has
> > > no place in the area.
> >
> > Water scarcity is a problem because there is insufficient local capital
to
> > develop the infrastructure necessary to provide water to a growing
> > population, yet the typical Indian protectionist mindset is opposed to
> > letting foreign investors develop it. Hardly Coca-Cola or America's
fault
> > at all...
>
> You guys are always good for a yuck.
>
> Coca-Cola is the one who is using up the water and polluting the wells.

Sources? Cites? Of course not...

Dan Clore

2005-08-20 19:33:47 EST

Barney Lyon

2005-08-20 20:14:22 EST

Stan de SD wrote:
> "Barney Lyon" <fountaingrove@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1124577420.620411.266560@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> > Stan de SD wrote:
> > > "Barney Lyon" <fountaingrove@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > > news:1124569998.373558.176910@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
> > > > August 10, 2005
> > > >
> > > > Major Rally Against Coca-Cola in India
> > > >
> > > > Communities Oppose Proposed Coca-Cola Bottling Plant
> > > >
> > > > New Delhi (August 10, 2005): In a major show of force, over 1,500
> > > > people rallied against a proposed Coca-Cola bottling plant in
> > > > Gangaikondan village in Tirunelveli district in southern India on
> > > > August 9, 2005.
> > > > Communities from across the southern state of Tamilnadu converged in
> > > > Gangaikondan to oppose a proposal by South India Bottling Company
> > > > Private Limited (SIBCL) - a Coca-Cola franchisee - to set up an Indian
> > > > Rupees 280 million (US$ 6.5 million) soft-drinks unit in the village.
> > > >
> > > > Water scarcity is a common problem in the region, and a broad based
> > > > movement has emerged to stop the Coca-Cola plant from coming up -
> > > > insisting that a bottling plant will further exacerbate water scarcity
> > > > in the area. Communities contend that water needs for drinking and
> > > > agriculture are not being met, and such a water-intensive factory has
> > > > no place in the area.
> > >
> > > Water scarcity is a problem because there is insufficient local capital
> to
> > > develop the infrastructure necessary to provide water to a growing
> > > population, yet the typical Indian protectionist mindset is opposed to
> > > letting foreign investors develop it. Hardly Coca-Cola or America's
> fault
> > > at all...
> >
> > You guys are always good for a yuck.
> >
> > Coca-Cola is the one who is using up the water and polluting the wells.
>
> Sources? Cites? Of course not...

Turn off Limbaugh (but listen to this first:
http://www.diymedia.net/audio/mp3/rlhater-imanazi.mp3) and Fox, and
read some honest to God news:

Kerala pollution board orders Coke plant to close:-
Pallakad, Kerala | August 20, 2005 5:22:34 PM IST

Soft drink major Coca Cola has been asked to close down one of its
plants in Kerala's Pallakad District after excess Cadmium contents were
detected in its sludge discharge.
The closure order was issued by the Kerala State Pollution Control
Board which had sought clarification from Coca Cola Beverages Limited
on the source of excess Cadmium, at times 600 percent above than the
permissible limit.

"In the waste water treatment sludges we have found contents of Cadmium
abnormally high. It goes up to 600 percent above the permissible limit.
In the ground water the content of Cadmium is not that much. So, there
is something which they are using in the raw materials," said G Raja
Mohan, the President of Kerala State Pollution Control Board.

The board also pointed out that the plant had also not complied with
the Supreme Court appointed monitoring committee's instructions to
install a reverse osmosis system for effluent treatment.

"For the treatment of water we had suggested reverse osmosis or
something similar. This was a suggestion by the Supreme Court
Monitoring Committee and we had also issued direction , which they have
not done," added G Raja Mohan.

The PCB order is a setback to the company at a time when it was getting
ready to resume production after remaining closed for about two years.

The Kerala High Court recently asked the Perumatty Panchayat to allow
the company to resume production.

The plant had been in the eye of a storm with local groups blaming the
company for depleting groundwater sources in the area and causing
pollution with the discharge of sludge containing heavy metals.

Earlier this month, over 1,500 people rallied against a proposal to set
up a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Gangaikondan village in Tamil Nadu's
Tirunelveli District.

Communities from across Tamil Nadu converged in Gangaikondan to oppose
a proposal by the South India Bottling Company Private Limited (SIBCL)
- a Coca-Cola franchisee - to set up a 6.5 million dollar soft-drinks
unit in the village.

Water scarcity is a common problem in the region, and a broad based
movement has emerged to stop the Coca-Cola plant from coming up -
insisting that a bottling plant will further exacerbate water scarcity
in the area.

Communities contend that water needs for drinking and agriculture are
not being met, and such a water-intensive factory has no place in the
area.

Coca-Cola company officials, along with their franchisee, SIBCL, have
refused to make public full details of the bottling plant, in spite of
repeated demands from the community. As a result, many questions remain
unanswered.

According to an India Resource Center report, the franchisee claims to
have secured permission for extracting 500,000 liters of water per day,
the state Pollution Control Board documents have earmarked 900,000
liters for the plant.

Coca-Cola's operations in India have come under intense scrutiny as
many communities are experiencing severe water shortages as well as
contaminated groundwater and soil, directly as a result of Coca-Cola's
bottling operations. A massive movement has emerged across India to
hold the Coca-Cola company accountable for its actions.

Community representatives from Plachimada and Sivagangai, sites of two
successful campaigns against Coca-Cola in India, were also present at
the rally, and a delegation from Gangaikondan had visited Plachimada in
early August.

The Plachimada plant, one of Coca-Cola's largest bottling facilities in
India, has remained shut for 17 months now because the village council
has refused to renew its license, blaming the company for causing water
shortages and pollution.

Various political parties as well as a broad range of groups, such as
the South Tamil Nadu Merchants Association and the Tamil Nadu
Government Employees Association participated in the rally, indicative
of the growing discontent over Coca-Cola's operations in India.

The Supreme Court of India will soon be hearing three cases relating to
Coca-Cola's business misdemeanours in India.

Calls for shutting down Coca-Cola bottling plants are getting stronger
across India. The Kerala Government has also moved the Supreme Court of
India to challenge Coca-Cola's crimes in India.

Coca-Cola's sales have reportedly dropped 14 percent in the last
quarter (April-June) in India,even as the company is undergoing a major
reorganization in the country in an effort to contain the growing
opposition to it. (ANI)
http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=108639&n_date=20050820&cat=busi

The Board also said despite specific instructions to provide drinking
water facility to people in the affected areas as per the directive of
the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee, the company had failed to
provide the facility.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1205418.cms

This site will educate you on oh-so-many things:
http://criticalmoment.org/issue10/articles/shiva.html

But don't forget to check this out, in Limbaugh's own voice, "I'm a
Nazi!": http://www.diymedia.net/audio/mp3/rlhater-imanazi.mp3)

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