PHA-Exch> COCA-COLA ALLY RECOMMENDS BOTTLING PLANT CLOSURE IN INDIA

[Claudio Schuftan]

 From: Laura Turiano <phm at turiano.org>
From: CommonDreams.org,

COCA-COLA ALLY RECOMMENDS BOTTLING PLANT CLOSURE IN INDIA (excerpts)
New Report Highlights Coca-Cola's Shortcomings in India

NEW DELHI -- January 15 -- In a major blow to the Coca-Cola company in
India, a report by its ally, the Energy and Resources Institute
(TERI), has called for the closure of one of its bottling plants in
India -- in the village of Kala Dera in the state of Rajasthan.

Citing the widespread water shortages being experienced by villages
around Coca-Cola's bottling plant, the report by TERI released
yesterday recommends that either the Coca-Cola bottling find
alternative sources of water -- a highly impractical option -- or
either relocate or shut down the plant altogether.

The 500 page report, -- "Independent, Third Party Assessment of Coca-
Cola Facilities in India" -- came as the result of high profile
student-led campaigns in the US, Canada and the UK. Over twenty
colleges and universities have removed Coca-Cola products as a result
of the international campaign which aims to hold the Coca-Cola company
accountable for creating water shortages and pollution in the areas
where it operates in India. The report assessed only 6 of Coca-Cola's
50 bottling plants in India.

It remains to be seen how the Coca-Cola company will respond to the
recommendations by TERI. But activists in India have vowed to ensure
that Coca-Cola meets the recommendations for Kala Dera.

The report by TERI is a damning indictment of Coca-Cola's operations
in India.

The report takes the company to task for siting its bottling plants in
already water stressed areas, without much thought given to the
impacts on communities.

 The report also shows that the Coca-Cola company has failed
to meet its own standards regarding waste management, and that the
company has hampered the TERI assessment because it has refused to
share the Environmental Impact Assessments for any one of the six
plants.

CONTACT: India Resource Center Rameshwar Kudi, India (Hindi only) +91
9414049053 Amit Srivastava, India +91 98103 46161 US + 1 415 336 7584
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