NGO against Coca-Cola factory

Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, February 27

Members of an NGO, Safal Bharat Guru Prampara, under the banner of the Save Water-Save Punjab Struggle Committee on Wednesday sat on a dharna against a Coca-Cola factory set up on Una Road here.

The NGO members said they continue their dharna till the factory was closed. They also threatened to take their protest to other parts of the state to save the water of Punjab.

NGO member Veer Pratap Rana said due to political and personal interests, politicians were not seen to be affected by factories and problems caused by them.

He said, “The government machinery is a puppet in the hands of politicians. On the one hand the Chief Minister himself is expressing concern over the possibility of a desert-like situation in Punjab in the next 20 years while on the other, factories are being setup by Coca-Cola, which is nothing more than an open invitation to a disastrous situation. These kind of factories are a serious threat to the already depleting underground water table in the state.” The protestors said, “Instead of a soft drink unit, if a making-juice unit is setup here, we will support the government and administration.”