The Rs.750 crore Coca-Cola plant in Hoshangabad, on the banks of river Narmada, has hit a roadblock after the local panchayat passed a resolution to not allow the water-guzzling plant.
Muhasa village panchayat and Vichar Madhya Pradesh—a group of social and political activists—have come together to oppose the plant, which, according to them, would destroy the environment and pollute water bodies.
The international beverage giant was allotted 110 acres of land last year in Muhasa industrial area of Hoshangabad, some 72km from Bhopal. The company plans to set up one of the biggest and state-of-the-art plants in India in the area.
The members of village panchayat, at a meeting held last month, unanimously decided not to allow the multinational company to construct the plant in their village.
Vikrant Rai, an activist, said “Out of 18 lakh litres of water, the factory will consume over 70 per cent and will release it as polluted water.”
Akshay Hunka of Vichar Madhya Pradesh said, “We have examples of Pithampur and other industrial areas in MP where people were cheated by these multinationals in the name of employment, but in reality they got pollution’’. “If Coca-Cola and government do not withdraw from the project, the people of the region will take out a padyatra against the multinational company and force them to close their other existing plans in the state’’.
The people have organised several meetings against the plant and presented a memorandum, signed by thousands of residents, to the government.
People staging a protest against the proposed Co-Ca Cola plant in Madhya Pradesh
The proposed plant would be a food processing and a bottling facility which would house multiple bottling lines to produce Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Thums Up, Limca, Minute Maid, Maaza and Kinley, said Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages officials on January 11 while laying the foundation stone of the plant along with state’s Industry Minister Rajendra Shukla. Coca-Cola had signed a MoU with MP government during the Global Investor Summit in 2014.
The plant would come up at the controversial Babai government agricultural farm which has been converted into industrial development area. The farm was once sold by Digvijay Singh led Congress government to Reliance Industries for Rs. 42 crore. However, the transfer of land was stalled after stiff opposition from the BJP.
According to official sources, the government is also setting up a 5 MGD (million gallon per day) water treatment plant (WTP) for uninterrupted water supply to the proposed plant. A special intake well has been made inside river Narmada from where the water would be lifted to the WTP at the industrial estate.
