The South Asian: Mehdiganj Rally: Foot in Mouth Disease Affects Coke

February 04, 2006

Mehdiganj Rally: Foot in Mouth Disease Affects Coke

Protesters want to do a plant visit, with police protection.

On February 2nd, 2006, about 500 people from around the Coca Cola bottling plant in Mehdiganj protested the continued draining of the groundwater owing to the plants activities. Dr. Sandeep Pandey and Medha Patkar from National Alliance of People�s Movements also joined the protests.

This protest occurred after the State Government of UP declared caution owing to worsening water conditions in the area, suggesting the set up of a water council to oversee water usage and warning that state run tube wells available to farmers for irrigation may have to be stopped owing to the dropping water table � at least till the monsoons arrive.

The communities around the plant protested that while the government was threatening to limit water usage by local agrarian communities, it was allowing the plant that withdraws between 100,000 to 500,000 liters of water everyday to continue to operate.

Ironically, during the rally, the plant manager sent out a note addressed to Dr Pandey asking why the people were protesting when in fact the state government water board has suggested that water levels have gone up since its operations.

This comment was met with loud derision and ridicule from the public gathered there. For one, the local community attests to the dropping water levels as well the worsening of the water condition. One local man said that the water feels different to the skin when one has ones bath using tube well water.

In addition, the source of this data is not clear since no known public presentation has been made by the water board vis-�-vis water levels in the area.

The letter, written in English also asked Dr. Pandey why he has been unwilling to talk to the company officials when they have invited him time and again � during his trip to the USA, officials in Atlanta invited him. Dr Pandey, reading the letter out loud, reiterated that he has no inclination to discuss anything with Coke officials. If indeed Coke wants to talk, they should come and talk to the local community.

In the same letter, contradicting themselves, the company argued that Dr Pandey was in fact an outsider in the area and had not standing with the local community while the company was part of the social fabric of this community, part of its happiness and sorrow, and that Dr. Pandey was running this campaign for his own benefit.

At this the local communities argued that the communities had been organizing against Coke before Dr. Pandey supported them. In addition, it was perhaps ironical that a transnational company that was only interested in exploitation of local groundwater, and with the willingness to leave the moment economic conditions did not suit them � as they are now doing in Plachimada � was claiming to be part of the social fabric of this community.

Continuing its practice of putting its foot in its mouth, the company also invited Dr Pandey to visit the company premises. However, they wanted Dr. Pandey to visit with media and local officials so that Dr Pandey would not lie afterwards.

Dr. Pandey, accepting the offer, suggested that since the media and local officials including the district magistrate were present, they could visit right away. However, since Dr. Pandey and Ms Patkar were outsiders, they would rather that the community itself visit the plant. The company however rejected this suggestion.

It was decided at the public rally that an indefinite hunger strike would begin on March 23rd, the birthday of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia and the day Bhagat Singh was martyred during the independence struggle. Nandlal, in consultation with the local community made this announcement.

The local community is seeking support for its protests from groups around the world. A letter of endorsement is attached below. Endorsements may be sent to napm_up@yahoo.com, or to mohantysanat@yahoo.com.

-based on an interview with Nandlal Master and Sandeep Pandey.

Communities around India are being affected adversely by the activities and policies of Coca Cola and Pepsi. Both these profit making Trans National Corporations are externalizing their costs of roductions to local communities. Specifically:
� Each bottling plant is withdrawing in the order of one hundred thousand to five hundred thousand liters of water everyday. Local communities impacted by dropping water levels are facing severe difficulty with agrarian livelihoods.
� Cadmium and other heavy metals have been found by a BBC investigative team in the vicinity of the Plachimada Coca Cola plant. Cocal Cola has been rating its hazardous waste inappropriately affecting the food chain and health of communities. In Mehdiganj (another Coca Cola bottling site), local community members are feeling te quality of water change.
� The companies have huge influence on law makers. In Plachimada, the local pollution board gave them a clearance permit without appropriate test. The director - retired since- is now under investigation on corruption charges. At the same time, in Mehdiganj and in Ballia, the Cocal Cola plants have ancraoched on public land and dispite court orders have cotinued to encroach on public lands. District administration has been unwilling to act.

A number of independent campaigns at the various bottling plants in Plachimda, Mehdiganj, Kaladera, Gangaikonda, Ballia are opposing the operations. The communities around Mehdiganj have announced an indefinite hunger strike on March 23rd to protest production at the Coca Cola plant while water levels have fallen to a level where the State Government has warned that state run tube wells may have to be shut off in the summer months - tube wells used for irrigation.

Coca Cola is also accused of serious human rights violations in South America and assassination of members of local unions. Numerous universities in the USA, Canada and UK including University of Michigan, McMaster University, have Rutgers University, have cancelled contracts with Coca Cola because the companies was not able to explain these accusations convincingly.

We, _________________, in support of these communties in India are demanding that the Cola companies stop production in India till they are able to operate without externalizing their costs and affecting the lives and livelihoods of these communities.

We also support these communities and believe their demands tied to their rights to life and livelihoods are justified. We support these demands.
Posted by collective at February 04, 2006 04:13 PM

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