The Hindu : Front Page : Coca-Cola plant: committee defends Kerala’s authority

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Sunday, Oct 11, 2009
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Coca-Cola plant: committee defends Kerala’s authority

G. Prabhakaran

PALAKKAD: Kerala Additional Chief Secretary K. Jayakumar, who heads a high-power committee to study the ‘damage’ caused by the operations of the Coca-Cola bottling plant at Plachimada, asserts that the State government has got the authority to constitute such committees and redress the grievances of people.

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited, in a letter dated September 29, 2009, had questioned the authority of the State government to constitute the high-power committee, which is to suggest compensation to the affected people.

The high-power committee, which discussed the letter at a sitting at Plachimada on Friday, described it as “unwarranted and provocatively worded.”

Mr. Jayakumar told The Hindu on Friday that though many of the committee members felt that the letter should be ignored, it was finally decided to seek legal opinion on it so that the functioning of the committee would be foolproof.

The Additional Chief Secretary said the government, if necessary, would consider bringing in a law making it mandatory on the part of companies indulging in such pollution to pay compensation to the affected people as in some other States including Tamil Nadu.

The letter, signed by K. Ajai Kumar, general sales manager, Kerala operations, had asked the high-power committee to “refrain from proceeding [further].”

The letter asked Mr. Jayakumar to explain under what authority the committee had been appointed and from “where it derives its powers and jurisdiction.”

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