Action against Coke after test result: Minister

Kerala Health Minister P Sankaran on Thursday said production and distribution of Coca-Cola would be stopped if the samples of the soft drink produced at the Plachimada plant in Palakkad district contained hazardous substances.

Replying to a submission in the state assembly, Sankaran said samples of the soft drinks had been collected from the plant and from four stockists and sent for examination.

Also Read Soft drinks, hard truths

The test result was expected in a week, he said, adding the government would take stringent action against the plant if tests proved that the samples contained hazardous substances.

He said the unit had been directed to stop supplying the company waste as fertilisers to farmers and destroy the same in a proper manner. The government viewed the issue very seriously, he said.

On the demands of some members in the House that the government should order an immediate closure of the plant, Sankaran said the unit was functioning after getting necessary clearance from the pollution control board, and factories and boilers and groundwater authority.

"Ordering a closure without a detailed test might lead to litigation. The government would be forced to pay compensation to the company," he said, adding it did not want to protect anybody in this case.