KOZHIKODE: Describing the High Court order invalidating the Government's ban on Coke, Pepsi in the State unfortunate, Janata Dal (S) State president M.P. Veerendrakumar on Friday said the Government should have made better preparations in dealing with the case.

The Janata Dal leader called for fresh legal initiatives to ban these products again.

About the High Court verdict, Mr. Veerendrakumar, who is in the forefront of the agitation against the soft drink majors, said: "In effect, the judgment will protect the health of the companies, sadly disregarding the health of the common man."

Expressing the view that the State Government should have made better preparation in dealing with the case, he said: "The Perumatty panchayat (where the agitation against the Coco-Cola factory took place) could prepare a better legal case and it is because of these legal steps, production of the soft drink in Perumatty was stopped and the company is not working now. Now the case is pending before the Supreme Court."

"The panchayat approached the court on 18 points including pollution by the company due to sludge, pollution of groundwater, excess usage of water and other observations of the State Pollution Control Board," he remarked.

Mr. Veerendrakumar urged the Government to take fresh legal initiatives amending the existing laws, if it was necessary in the interest of public health, and ban the products again.

Our Staff Reporter writes from Thiruvananthapuram

AIYF plans protest

The All India Youth Federation has condemned the High Court order.

The AIYF will organise State-wide protests to oppose the sale of colas, it said in a statement here. The State Government should take immediate legal measures, including going on appeal to the Supreme Court, to protect people's interests, it demanded.

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