No ban on water supply for Pepsi, Coca Cola in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli

Chennai: In a major relief to leading soft drink manufacturers, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday dismissed two PILs against supply of Thamirabarani river water to co-packers of Pepsi and Coca Cola.

Last November, the Madras High Court had restrained Pepsi and Coca-Cola from using water drawn from the Tamirabarani river for their bottling plants.

The Madurai Bench of the high court had given the interim injunction on a PIL filed by Prabakar, Secretary of Tirunelveli Consumer Protection Association.

The petitioner had contended that drawing of water for the bottling plants of these companies deprived farmers of their livelihood, who were unable to take up farming activities.

The companies paid only 37.50 paise per 1,000 litres of water extracted and sold their beverages at a much higher cost, he had alleged.

He had submitted that the Public Works Department had not permitted the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) to provide water to the bottling units of these companies. Yet SIPCOT supplied water to the soft drink makers, thus affecting farmers in five districts.

Allowing supply of Tamirabarani water to the two companies would affect lives of people in five districts, the petitioner had said and sought its sale to be stopped.