Kerala govt to get closed down Coke factory property for free
The long-drawn struggle between the Plachimada Struggle Solidarity Committee and Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd (HCBPL), Coca-Cola’s Indian subsidiary seems to be getting ready for another battle.
The Plachimada Struggle Solidarity Committee through its continuous efforts saw the closure of the Coca-Cola factory in the Palakkad district in 2004. It was in HCBPL set up a plant that manufactured soft drinks in the Plachimada village near Palakkad.
The present uprising is after the Committee came to know that the company has informed the Kerala government that they are ready to hand over the land and properties at Plachimada for free.
Consequent to this offer, the state revenue officers have listed out that there was a 34.50-acre land that houses about 35,000 sq ft building and the company will hand over it to the cash-strapped Kerala government for free.
The state government is planning to convert this place into a unit for the good of the local farming committee by setting up basic facilities.
The protesters, however, allege that this is a ploy of the company to hand over the land for free and escape from paying compensation to the local people who suffered on various counts after the factory was set up.
“For a while, there has been a conspiracy going around in which some politicians are involved to help the company run away without paying the compensation to the people here who lost everything. We will not allow the company to escape on the sly,” said the protesters.
[With Inputs from IANS]
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