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Coke feels the heat as Goa slaps notice over chill-out summer trick

The battle between the state authorities and Coca-Cola has taken a serious turn. The Goa State Pollution Control Board has issued a show-cause notice to Coca-Cola's new plant at Verna near here for starting trial production without seeking the board clearance.

The board had withheld the green signal for production to the Hindustan Coca-Cola Bottling South West Private Limited a fortnight back. A team of high-level officials inspected the plant and discovered that the company had indeed started trial production without the requisite permission. The plant produced at 20 per cent of its rated capacity from mid-March.

It is learnt the company did so to cash in on the demand for soft drinks in the summer season. The Rs 300 million Verna unit has a capacity of 36,000 crates per day. During the trial production, it now transpires, it was bottling 7,200 crates a day.

The bone of contention however is non-completion of the tertiary treatment plant for further purifying half of the conventionally treated total waste water of 762 cubic metres. The inspection party has reportedly found out the plant would take at least two more months to put it into operation.

The board in the meantime has also told the soft drink multinational to submit a detailed plan of the four km long pipeline network the company has laid at the Verna industrial estate. The unit plans to use the pipeline for directing the treated water to gardens. The remaining water would be utilised as coolant.

The state government has taken a serious view of the affair. The chief secrerary refused to meet the company officials who flew down from Bombay to offer an explanation. He also instructed the board officials to issue show-cause notice to the company.

The argument, however, made by the company is that the efficiency of the treatment plants could not be proved without having trial production. But the pollution control board is unlikey to accept the argument.

Nearly 40 days have passed since the trial production had begun. And the 'trial' produce is being sold in the market!

UNI

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Goa