BJP to oppose Coca Cola`s proposed plant in U`khand

Dehradun: BJP in Uttarakhand today said it will oppose Coca Cola`s proposed bottling plant at Charba village here expressing apprehensions about the harmful effects of the project on the fragile Himalayan ecology. Terming the MoU recently signed between the multi-national beverage giant and the state government in this regard as an "over-hurried decision", state BJP chief Tirath Singh Rawat said the party will oppose it tooth and nail.

The Congress government should have conducted an elaborate study over the possible impact of the project on the ecology before entering into a pact with Coca Cola, he said. Noting that the project will be a burden on the water resources of the region where several hydel projects are already located, Rawat said setting up a proposed bottling plant may lead to a drinking water crisis in the area besides putting a question mark on the availability of water for the hydro-electric projects underway there. "These factors should have been taken into account before inking the pact with the beverage company," he said. Announcing the BJP`s decision to vehemently oppose the project, Rawat said the party will hit the streets after the forthcoming civic body polls staging dharnas and demonstrations in protest against the proposed project. The state BJP chief also threatened to take its battle to the Centre`s door if the need to do so arises. Noted environmentalists including Vandana Siva, Padmashree awardee Avdhash Kaushal, Anil Prakash Joshi and Chandiprasad Bhatt have already opposed the plant on grounds of its adverse imapct on the environment. Even villagers in the project area (60 acres of land in Charba village of Dehradun district) have put their foot down demanding that the authorities desist from cutting down trees for the plant. PTI