Choking the colas
Welcome back!
Disclaimer: I am not a communist. I may sound one in this post. That is purely to put the point across. Some facts are facts, we should admit that.This is an answer to Vandhana
The Cola giants have been facing a bad time in Kerala ever since the Plachimada issue came up.In this case, Coca Cola was accused not only of ground water exploitation but also of distribution hazardous waste as fertilizer to people around the bottling plant.No agency nor the company has been able to come up with the reason for Cadmium content in the “fertilizer” supplied by the company to the poor Plachimada populace.The government that gave the licence to the plant or the company itself should have foreseen the repercussions of exploiting ground water in a state like Kerala with a very high density of population (819 persons per km).
This case is sub judice and the as of now the plant is still operational(as I have understood from various news reports, I may stand corrected). In a similar move, the people of Pudussery panchayat in the same Palakkad district voiced their opinion against the Pepsi bottling plant and the panchayat annuled the licence. These are old stories.
I wonder why don’t these two companies think for a moment before investing in Kerala. No, I am not talking against the state! Whatever said and done, no industry that affects the ecological/social system in Kerala can survive in the state. This has more to do with 2 factors, the high density of population and a very high literacy rate. A high literacy rate has made sure that every single Malayalee knows what his rights are,what his duties are.He knows when to raise his opinion. And most of the times he goes overboard raising his opinion for even the slightest mistake that he finds around him.
The non mallu media may mock at Mallus being creators of trade unions and associations.Understand the fact that voice is heard better when they are together. Synergy is better than mere summation. Literacy and better educational scenario has made an average Malayalee aware of the socio,economic,geopolitical sitation across the world.Even years before the internet was born and the world was far from flat,one could see heated debates going on in chayakadas(Tea shops) or Barber shops(Hair cutting salons as they are know now)on what is happening in Romania or USA. This enlighenment was partly due to the communist movement that swept across the state and the fact that however right or left a malayalee is, he is slightly skewed to the left!
Believe it or not,its only the left that makes you think! (Pun intended) And there is a very high density of population!This is a factor not much discussed when it comes to developmental issues.No industry that affects the ecological and social fabric can prosper in the state. A cola bottling plant will require gallons of water and would deplete the ground water table.The companies should have thought about this,or the government should have warned them before they set foot in the state. Do not know if it was mere coincidence or a concerted effort by the flag bearers of our social issues like Vandana Shiva or Medha Patkar, that CSE came out with their first report on persiticides in cola when the Plachimada issue was burning!.That was the death bell of colas in Kerala. Sales dropped.They stopped advertising(could not!!!) on mallu TV. No channel was ready to advertise any of the soft drinks. Mammootty, the mallu superstar pulled out of an endorsement of Coca Cola.That is the past.
Fast forward to the present. The second CSE report has come indicting the cola companies of selling products that contain pesticides 200 times the permissible limit! The stage is perfect in Kerala.The left is in power.[Had it not been the left also, a mass agitation would have made the UDF government take an anti Cola step(as they managed to do in the Plachimada issue)] The CSE report II is out.States across the nation are banning colas at selected locations be it schools or govt. offices. Inspite of an anti Cola wave that is still on in the state,Kerala contributes 5-7% of the cola sales in India. The last nail is the cola coffin is about to be nailed. If all goes well, Kerala’s LDF government will go for a ban on all softdrinks /some soft drinks manufactured by these 2 cola giants. It is time, they learnt a lesson. They are learning it the hard way.They should know that when it comes to health and hygiene all the worlds need to be treated at the same platform, be it a first world or the third.
PS:This differential treatment is done by McDonald’s as well . In India,they do not use food grade paper boards for packaging!
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12 comments
u have been tagged
strong leftist???
why not explore other parts of this controversy – like how come this very literate mallu still dreams about the land of cola and gulps down bottles and bottles of it? and how this very same mallu will happily anyday prefer to take up a job for these cola majors than do a social awareness campaign for the masses on behalf of CSE?
something to ponder over…..i know for a fact that the guy who was among the leaders in the Plachimada controversy used to come to the dharna in the same car that Coke gave him as part of an effort to keep the local guys happy when they set up the plant !!!
Every single Malayalee knows what his rights are, sadly the part about duties is not so correct.
When a company decides to set a bottling plant, if you don’t want it to be in our area then you should not be giving a license in the first place. After the investment have been made, canceling the license does not look like a wonderful thing to happen. Ever wondered, why Kerala gets so little by way of investment (no remittance cannot be included under this head)
And ever wondered, why most malayalees prefer to leave kerala? At least in my case, I can tell you that I do not want to return. Sorry, but Kerala is probably the best example of a leftist ideology can destroy the spirit of its hard-working people and not capitalize its natural resources.
As for left making you think, I wonder if that was a big joke, or were you actually serious (oh my!)..
My two cents on the pesticide controversy here: http://blog.sajithm.com/index.php/thoughts/2006/08/08/pesticides-and-soft-drinks
what gets me annoyed is the attitude this cola companies put up as if they are above the law..
Agree on McDonalds. They charge 50 rupees for the same burger they sell for 1 dollar in America. That’s even more than the exchange rate!
I do have some opinions on Colas; will try to write them up and send you a link
@Mathew
Agreed
@vishnu
Thats teh same naa..the idea is to provide a one dollar meal..so cant blame them there!!
Hi, long time no news….
Cola ban will be another ‘historical blunder’ of cpm led ldf sarkar here in kerala. ok, CSE tested it and found that pesticides are much above WHO or european union norms. till this point every thing is right. Then i have one doubt, why CSE is focussing on cola only. why they are not testing tea, egg (ya egg contains pesticides and other harmful chems, this is via hormon or chemical contained feed to boost the weight and egg of chicken), road side dabba walas are selling cancer porn food items. repeated use of vegitable oils will invite cancer, this is also tested and widely accepted fact.
Why we are cornering cola only. the main reason is there is one ‘america’ behind this cola. may be because of this we keralites are in the forefront of the ban. see, left and muslim organisations are the main opponents of cola. as for plachimada issue, FACT kochi, KMML kollam- two leading chemical factories in kerala- are polluting more water than that of plachimada plant of cocacola. why we r not banning these two industrial giants.
mothers milk contains pesticide (this is stated in union health minisries report), Banning of breast feeding ? Is this the solution. No, so we have to assess whats the problem?
nearly 60 yrs we hv covered after independence. even now more than 60 pc. of the population gets unpure water, which is not safe to drink. any way if CSE is testing the pipe water reaching at Com. achutandans office/home, it ll be clear that it contains more harmful particles than that in colas. No need of test, by naked eye we can find animal excreta in municipal water available at the nearest tap of CSE at delhi.
The only thing we are equivalent to the first world is when we whip the credit/debit card in the machine. We all will be getting the same cash. Atleast VISA and MASTER CARD are treating us well.
About the pesticide levels…It is good to take these pesticides in a small amount(not joking). If we take it in a controlled manner in digestable form(not absorbable) our body will be resisting the ill effects. We are over concerned of everything.
There is lot of background atomic radiation being emitted by earth. It is not causing cancer for anybody. But if a cellphone tower comes and the radiation level is below this background radiation…We are there to protest…
The typical malayalee nature is to be in the bandwagon. He will never want to get thrown out of it. It not the synergy that keeps him going. It is his fear of getting isolated matters most. He fears that the society will ban him if he speaks against it. In tea-stall debates too this is the case. In my village there r only two newspapers(yes Manorama and Deshabhimani)…Debates are based on the reports from them…
And about the blunders of Left…See the tractor strike and the anti-computer movement.
Now the government itself is supplying tractors,tillers and computers….
Long live kerala…
One thing very intersting I found in your LONG ESSAY at pagalguy. as for ur IIFT, that is onlne course in IPR.
I am too looking for IPR courses online. I am a lawyer, would you be kind enough to send me the website and othe valuable inforamtoin for me to join this course from WIPO.
I could not locate the same.
Would be thankful if you do the needful.
riya
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