Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Cola ban

The ban on the production and sale of Coca Cola and Pepsi in Kerala has evoked a mixed response. But I find it rather amusing that a State in which the government itself is engaged in the sale and distribution of alcohol and alcoholic beverages should find the cola so hot to handle. Surely it is the lesser evil. The ban is a blatant violation of the consumers' right to choose. The actual problem is being swept under the carpet. Do governments make an attempt to get rid of pesticide residues in fruits, vegetables, milk, and drinking water, all of which we consume in greater quantities than colas?

Aby Tom Nicholson,
Kochi, Kerala

The ban is a classic example of a government giving in to the publicity campaign of an NGO. All the governments that have banned Pepsi and Coke partially or wholly should come out with a comparative study of pesticide content in water. The need of the hour is to educate the farmer on effective ways of avoiding excessive use of pesticide, which finds its way into the food chain. The media should play a major role in this.

V.G. Janarthanam,
Chennai

That so many argue against a ban on the soft drinks is surprising. What about tobacco, drinking water, milk and so on, they ask. Let us make a beginning with the colas. The MNCs that manufacture them make money by literally burning our stomach. The Centre should not pay heed to the views of FICCI, CII and the like. They are chambers of commerce, not health institutes.

Vithal G. Deshpande,
Secunderabad

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