Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages shuts Dasna unit

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages has shut production at its plant at Dasna, Uttar Pradesh. The unit was under scrutiny of the National Green Tribunal since last year, following reports from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) suggesting that it was discharging untreated wastewater in the vicinity.

According to India Resource Center (IRC), the firm was running the plant without a no-objection certificate (NOC) since January 2015. One of the two effluent treatment plants (ETP) in the manufacturing facility was not functional for quite some time. The ETP for the high strength organic wastewater was defunct and boilers and electricity generator sets in the plant were polluting air.

"Their plant in Hapur is categorised as a highly polluting unit that generates hazardous waste. The latest report also raised questions regarding its handling of hazardous waste, stating that the room for storage is not designed in a scientific manner," IRC said. The report by CPCB noted, "It was established that this storage was constructed only for eye-wash purposes."

A spokesperson of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB), bottling subsidiary of Coca-Cola in India, said: "All Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages plants operate in full compliance with all regulatory norms and the Dasna plant is no exception. Being a responsible corporate citizen, HCCB complies with the law both in letter and spirit."

"We received a communication from Uttar Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) and submitted a detailed response. Since UPPCB is reviewing the response, to show our commitment to compliance with regulatory norms, we decide to temporarily suspend manufacturing at Dasna plant," the spokesperson added.

In the past few months, the beverage maker has shut down production in at least three plants across the country. It has also faced resistance from various quarters due to depletion of ground water levels and discharging effluents in at least six plants, including the one at Dasna which is located at Hapur district in UP. Various Coca-Cola officials faced charges in June when the Kerala police registered a case for causing distress to the scheduled caste community in the Plachimada region of the state.