Coke faces villagers’ wrath over bottling plant in UP

In a major setback to soft drink giant Coka-Cola, 18 village councils (panchayats) in the vicinity of Coca-Cola bottling plant in Mehdiganj, Varanasi have come together against extraction of ground water by the MNC firm. Villagers of 18 panchayats have demanded that the groundwater used by Coca-Cola be stopped immediately due to the growing water crisis in the area.

It’s worth mentioning that panchayats are located within a 5-km radius of the Coca-Cola plant and villagers have experienced water shortages soon after Coca-Cola began operations in 1999. The area surrounding the bottling plant is largely agrarian.