Kerala - Kannur   

Ruling unfortunate: Chief Minister

Staff Reporter

State Government to explore legal options to enforce the ban on cola products

KANNUR: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has said the State Government will explore legal measures against the High Court's order quashing the ban on production and sale of Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

Reacting to the High Court's order on Saturday, Mr. Achuthanandan said the court ruling was unfortunate. Asked what the Government would do in the wake of the court order that the Government had no authority to impose a ban on Coca-Cola and Pepsi, the Chief Minister said the Government would explore ways to take corrective measures to enforce the ban.

The Plachimada Samara Aikyadardya Samithi has expressed disappointment over verdict.

R. Ajayan, convener of the samithi, said in a statement here on Friday that the court had ignored the report of the Government Analyst's Laboratory submitted by the Health Department, according to which cola samples collected from various parts of the State contained poisonous substances 70 times above the permissible level. He said the State Government was convinced of the threat posed by the beverages to the health of the people. The people too had welcomed the ban wholeheartedly. It was unfortunate if the State Government could not ban items that were harmful to the health of the people, he added.

Stir to be intensified

Staff Reporter writes from Palakkad: Demonstrations and protest meetings against the court order were held at Plachimada and in Palakkad town by tribal people, who launched the first struggle at Plachimada, and activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI).

At Plachimada, the tribal leader Maylamma, who had withdrawn the agitation after the State Government banned the sale of Cola products, led a demonstration in protest against the court order. Ms. Maylamma said the agitation in front of the Hindustan Coca-Cola unit at Plachimada would be resumed if the Cola products were allowed in the State.

The DYFI took out a demonstration at Plachimada demanding action against the Coca-Cola unit at Perumatty and Pepsi-Cola company at Kanjikode for depletion of groundwater.

DYFI district secretary M.B. Rajesh in a statement here on Friday described the court decision as unfortunate.

He said the Government had banned the sale of Cola drinks respecting the sentiments of the people of Palakkad who had suffered owing to the exploitation of groundwater.

There were also scientific reports to the effect that the drinks contained poisonous substance and was injurious to health. But the Court did not consider these grave issues faced by the people, the DYFI statement said.

It said the DYFI will observe `Black Day' on September 23 in the district on the Cola issue.

A district committee meeting on September 26 will chalk out a detailed programme of action against the Cola companies, he said.

KCCI welcomes ruling

Staff Reporter from Kochi writes: The Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) welcomed the decision of the High Court to quash the order of the State Government to ban the manufacturing and sale of Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

The Government had been misguided and the ban had sent wrong signals in the international area, chamber president John K. Paul said in a press release.

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