Coca-Cola offers to return 35 acres of Plachimada land to Kerala govt

Coca-Cola Company has offered to return 35 acres of land that it possesses at Plachimada in Kerala’s Palakkad district to the state government. The company had closed down its Plachimada unit in March 2004 following agitation by the local people, who complained of environmental pollution and exploitation of groundwater by the company. 

Juan Pablo Rodriguez Trovato, CEO of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd that produces and distributes drinks under Coca-Cola India umbrella, sent a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, informing him of the company’s decision to hand over the property and the building there to a state. 

The government has already begun negotiations to release the land for a proposed farmer producer organisation to be launched soon under the leadership of farmers. 

The beverage manufacturer was finally ready to transfer the land at the outset of the negotiations held under Power Minister K Krishnankutty. The company also offered to provide technical assistance for the construction of a demo farm for the farmers there, the CMO added in a late evening release on Thursday.

Coca-Cola, upon request by the Kerala government had turned the contentious plot into a COVID facility in 2021. The government was looking for premises that it could transform into COVID facilities, when they were approached by a former employee of the plant with the idea to utilise the space. Coca-Cola completed the required repair work and handed over the plant to the government. Volunteers, residents, village panchayats and farmers came together to turn the space into a reality. 

"Turned a non-functioning Coca Cola plant in Palakkad into a 550-bed #COVID19 treatment centre spending Rs 1.1 crores; has 100 oxygen beds, 50 ICU beds and 20 ventilators. Kerala is gearing up for the impending third wave,” Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted in June 2021. 

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