Erode/Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has cancelled the plots allotted to Coca-Cola’s beverages manufacturing facility in State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited (SIPCOT) Industrial Growth Centre in Perundurai.
On April 20, the SIPCOT Managing Director R. Selvaraj issued the cancellation order of 71.34 acres of land allotted to it for non-compliance of terms and conditions of allotment order / lease deed.
In his communication to Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) Private Limited, Mr. Selvaraj merely informed that the plots allotted to the company have been cancelled.
The SIPCOT allotted 71.34 acres at the Industrial Growth Centre in Perundurai on June 21, 2013. It was further amended twice. A lease deed was executed and registered by HCCB on January 23, 2014. However, the allotment and subsequent soil testing triggered a spate of protests from residents of Perundurai and Chennimalai towns and farmers in the area.
A Trust to save the towns from the proposed Coca-Cola plant was also formed fearing groundwater depletion and discharge into the water courses. After it became a hotly debated political issue, including the Assembly in the Budget session in March, the government has cancelled the allotment of land.
HCCB, which was planning to invest Rs 500 crore in the greenfield manufacturing unit, is yet to react to the development.
(Agencies)