Indefinte protest against Coca Cola (23 March 2006 onwards….)
Dear Friends
We,
the people of Mehendiganj wish to bring the attention of our countrymen
and of the whole world to the glaring example of an impending World
Danger of Drinking Water in the form of its open commercialization by
Coca Cola and Pepsi Companies. In fact the problem is not new to you,
neither is your collaboration with us in our struggle against it, new.
Yet we would like you to note some facts concerning the present
condition both of the depletion of water and of our struggle against it.
The
Hindustan Coca Cola company established its bottling plant in
Mehndiganj village of Varanasi District of Uttar Pradesh, North India,
in 1995. Ever since, the people of the place have been constantly
protesting against it. The reasons for protest are manifold.
1. Illegal Possession of Village Land
The
Company has forcefully occupied more than 33 decimal of village land
despite the resistance and notices of the village authorities. District
authority and the Court had found them guilty and issued notices to
return this public land. But the money power of the company had no
troubles in keeping the land against this country's law and people.
The
company had also escaped with the theft of stamp duty worth rupees one
crore five lacs and seventy five thousand. Interestingly the Varanasi
court had a judgment passed against them in this regard to pay a
penalty of Rs. 3,01,50,000/- on 3 March 2003, which the company's
underhand power has succeeded to ignore to this day!!!
2. Coca Cola's enormously Polluting Waste
The
company had made false publicity among the villagers that their waste
would be so pure as edible and manure. But the experiments and
experiences have proved to the whole world that not only their waste
but the Cola itself is poisonous!, that the polluted water which the
company releases contains heavy content of Cadmium and lead which has
in fact destroyed the entire agricultural crops of the area causing
unbearable losses to the village farmers. Surveys have already
manifested that various intestinal and skin
diseases increase in the surrounding villages during the last five
years. Many written complaints on this fact have been made to the
administration. Both administration and Pollution Board have made study
and discovered the truth of the sicknesses and losses. Despite all
these documented facts none of these machineries have ever succeeded to
take even a single step to take action against the company, nor to give
compensation to the poor villagers.
3. Coca Cola's unjust management against its Employees
Coca
Cola is one of the highest profit making multinational companies of the
world. But the local people have come to experience the cut-throat
behaviors of the company to its employees. It has kept all its workers
as non permanent. When the employees took steps to unite to demand for
just wages, the company dared to use illegal forces, dismissed many and
got 13 of its employee leaders implicate in fictitious crimes and court
cases for which they are still being troubled.
4. Depletion of Ground Water by Coca Cola for Commercial purposes.
The
most heinous crime against the people of Mehndiganj and against the
whole of our country is the massive exploitation of ground water, about
250,000 liters of water per day! This colossal use of ground water has
dried up open wells and run down the level of bore wells from 30 feet
to 50 feet, in this Gangetic Plain so that more than 20 villages are
undergoing terrible scarcity of water not only for irrigation but also
for drinking! The drought of last two years has worsened this situation
leaving people with no alternative than to drive away the exploiters of
their drinking water!!
5. The Shamefully Poor Response of the Government to these Problems
The
government of Uttar Pradesh has been saying that they are concerned
about the awful condition of drinking water in the state, and is
considering closing deep wells of the government for the sake of the
shallow wells of the people.
The
fact is that when water is drawn for irrigation only 8 to 10% of the
water is used for crops, all the rest 90% returns to the source. But
commercialization and chemicalization of water uses the total content
of the water drawn out. We have only one question to the UP government,
"Is it in a position to stop commercialization of ordinary people's
drinking water by Coca Cola"??
A parliamentary committee under the
leadership of H'ble Sharad Pawar had found that Pepsi
and Coke contained heavy contents of poisonous contents after a study
on the recommendation of the NGO institution CSI. But all that the
whole parliament could do was to remove these soft drinks from their
canteens, hinting as if to the whole country that even if the entire
nation goes to doom, what concerns to them is their own welfare!!
Mehendiganj's Struggles against the Monster of Coca Cola
The
people of Mehendiganj have been holding peaceful protests against Coca
Cola according to the norms of democracy ever since they started to see
the deadly dangers it is spreading in the whole area. The Mehendiganj
panchayat had unanimously passed a resolution to cancel the license of
the company in May 2005. But the state government behaved as a domestic
dog of the company and used brutal violence on the peacefully
protesting people of the place and on their supporters, beating up men
and women alike, locking them up and suing them in the court with fake
criminal cases.
Now
it has become clear to the people of Mehendiganj and to the whole
common man of the country that our government is bought cheep by such
companies and their mafia to the extend that people are left with one
single option to FIGHT UNTO DEATH, for their own survival. Now people
and all People's Movements have determined to fight the decisive
battle. Now the government which runs with each hard earned penny of
the common people and their vote, will have to make a public decision
whether it is with the people or with the companies who fill their
pockets. Now is the time to prove that power of justice and truth is
still with the people and not with any corrupt politician.
On
this occasion we wish to bring the attention of our countrymen and of
the whole world to the glaring example of an impending World Danger of
Drinking Water in the form of its open commercialization by Coca Cola
and Pepsi Companies. In fact the problem is not new to you, neither is
your collaboration with us in our struggle against it, new. Yet we
would like to bring your attention to some facts concerning the present
condition both of the depletion of water and of our struggle against it.
So
we the people of Mehendiganj have determined to sit on strike in front
of the Hindustan Coca Cola Bottling Plant at Mehendiganj indefinitely
until the following demands of our people are fulfilled by the
government.
- Cancel the license of Coca Cola company
- Prohibit Coca Cola company from its daily exploitation of 25 lac liters of ground water.
- Release the public land illegally occupied by the company from the village panchayat of Mehendiganj
- Stop the pollution caused by the wastes of Coca Cola, and compensate the people of Mehendiganj for the losses of life and crops.
- Deposit the dwindled stamp duty of rupees three crores one and half lac into the treasury immediately
- Take back all the fake cases into which Coca Cola has dragged our peaceful protesters, and its employees.
- Ensure a country-wide block on the poisonous soft drinks of Pepsi and Coke
March
23 is the historical day of the victorious martyrdom of Sardar Bhagat
Singh, the symbol of daring Indian determination for freedom. This is
also the birthday of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia the symbol of people's
revolution in the Free India. March 22, just the preceding day is
dedicated for the awareness of Drinking Water of the World.
Incidentally related is also the series of World Social Forum
gatherings in Pakistan, South Africa and Brazil starting from 23 March.
We find no better auspicious day to initiate this indefinite struggle
of our people against injustice and exploitation.
Hence
may we request you to ensure your participation in this revolution
physically with your presence and symbolically with your encouragement,
support and contribution.
Yours truly,
LOK SAMITI, VARANASI
COCA COLA BHAGAO, GAON BACHAO SANGHARSH SAMITI, MEHENDIGANJ
SAJHA SANSKRITI MANCH
NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PEOPLES MOVEMENTS
AND ALL WELL-WISHERS AND COLLABORATORS
Contact Address
Lok Samiti Office
Vill. Nagepur
P.O. Benipur
Varanasi
Ph.
=91-542-2632433
9415300520
9839017693
email:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"I may disagree of what you say, but I will defend to
the death your right to say it."
-Voltaire
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SAVAD RAHMAN
subeditor,MADHYAMAM daily,
pooppalam, perinthalmanna,kerala,
india
cell:(91)-9846085873
"I may disagree of what you say, but I will defend to
the death your right to say it."
-Voltaire
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SAVAD RAHMAN
subeditor,MADHYAMAM daily,
pooppalam, perinthalmanna,kerala,
india
cell:(91)-9846085873
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