[Attachment(s) from Ravindran Major included below]
The struggle of the local people-mostly adivasis and economically backward class- to assert their right to clean drinking water and environment, which has been devastated by the bottling plant of Hindustan CocaCola Beverages Ltd entered its 8th year today. The function organised in front of the closed factory by the Anti Coca Cola Struggle Committee and its Solidarity Committee was inaugurated by reknowned litterateur and human rights activist Prof Sara Joseph. She said the fears expressed about multinational invasion in the name of globalisation and liberalisation during discussions in the 1970s and 80s have become a reality today. Even governments have been unable to stop transnational corporations from spreading their tentacles and establishing their strangle hold on even the basic necessities of every human being. This has been due to either pure incompetence or due to the very people in government becoming handmaidens of these corporations. Under the circumstances it is only the resistance of local people that can prevent these mercenaries from marginalising them. Fortunately such resistances have paid positve dividends elsewhere and provides us the required hope for our own future. It is a shame that a knowledgeable person like Sashi Tharoor openly defended Coca Cola by recalling its investments and claims of social development all around. Both he and the company authorities need to explain who has gained by those investments and why the poor people of Plachimada have to suffer as they have been for the last 7 years. We also have to watch out for the induction of Tharoor in our Parliament whether he wins the election or not.
Indiannur Gopi presided over the function. Vilayodi Venugopal, K R Indira, Adv Guruswamy, Krishnan Kutty, Dr P S Panikkar, Sulaiman and Padmakumar spoke. All the speakers reiterated the need to continue the struggle till the 4 requirements demanded by the people are fulfilled. These are : the company should close down permanently after paying compensation for the losses incurred by the local people and repairing the damages caused to the environment, the company should be prosecuted for their crimes, empower the local bodies to decide what kind of development is required in their areas and to execute them and empower the authorites like Pollution Control Board, Ground Water Authority and local bodies to prosecute the law breakers.
Regards and best wishes
P M Ravindran
2/18, 'Aathira'
Kalpathy-678003
Ph:0491-2576042PS: Photograph of Prof Sara Joseph inaugurating the function is attached.
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Monday, April 27, 2009
Re: [India-Force] Anti Coca Cola struggle-Palchimada-enters 8th year [1 Attachment]
On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 5:59 PM, Ravindran Major <majorravi@gmail.com> wrote:
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