Published on: 11/29/2015IST

Anuj Tiwari Last updated on: 11/29/2015, Permalink

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Eighteen town committees in Uttar Pradesh are requesting a nearby Coca-Cola packaging plant be disallowed from extricating water starting from the earliest stage, its over utilization has prompted water shortage in the territory, said a natural battle bunch.

The villages, which are located in Mehdiganj area of Varanasi district; the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi claim they have been facing water shortages since 1999 when the plant began operations.

"Elected village council heads represent the voice of the people, and they are clear that Coca-Cola is not welcome in Mehdiganj. It is time for Coca-Cola to pack up and leave," said Amit Srivastava of the California-based India Resource Center, which is supporting the village councils.

"Coca-Cola paints a pretty picture of itself internationally as a responsible user of water, but the reality in India is that it exploits groundwater at the expense of the poor, the women, children, farmers and livestock who have to live with less water because Coca-Cola mines groundwater in a water scarce area for profit."

Mehdiganj is to a great extent agrarian and groups here depend on groundwater to address a large portion of their issues, including for individual drinking and washing, watering system and for animals.  Coca-Cola utilizes the same groundwater source to meet its creation needs - setting it in direct rivalry with the neighborhood group, hippies say.  Srivastava said the 18 town gatherings had kept in touch with State Pollution Control Board, which conceded a permit to Coca-Cola, asking powers to restrict the organization from extricating any more groundwater in the zone.  He additionally indicated late information discharged by the Central Ground Water Authority which pronounced Arajiline square, where the packaging plant in situated, as "over misused" in 2011.  Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd said a recent report by another power called the Central Ground Water Board into a protest by villagers of lakes, wells and hand pumps going away discovered no confirmation that the organization was mindful.

"The Central Ground Water Board watched that this consumption was not because of withdrawal of ground water by Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd (HCCBPL) plant," said an organization articulation messaged to the Thomson Reuters Foundation. 

"The report further said there was a reasonable pattern of water consumption in seven pieces of Varanasi locale and especially in Arajiline hinder, the rate was higher." 

Regardless of the decrease, the report additionally said there was sufficient water in lakes, burrowed wells and great products of wheat and mustard were seen in the fields, the announcement included.