Coca-Cola contaminated water and polluted the environment at a south Indian bottling plant and should pay $47 million in compensation, local authorities said on Monday.
The government in Communist-run Kerala state said it had accepted the findings of a panel that investigated the soft drinks giant and recommended a fine of 2.16 billion rupees.
Coca-Cola denied all the allegations.
The state panel said that the Palakkad bottling factory, which was closed in 2005 after protests from activists and residents, damaged the local environment by polluting groundwater and dumping solid waste.
'Several studies were conducted and they revealed that the Coca-Cola plant has contaminated the water and soil of the area. So the company must pay for it,' NK Premachandran, the state minister for water, told AFP.
Coca-Cola dismissed the panel's findings, saying that any claim must be taken to the courts.
It said numerous investigations by the state government and others had cleared the company of any wrong-doing.
The government in Communist-run Kerala state said it had accepted the findings of a panel that investigated the soft drinks giant and recommended a fine of 2.16 billion rupees.
Coca-Cola denied all the allegations.
The state panel said that the Palakkad bottling factory, which was closed in 2005 after protests from activists and residents, damaged the local environment by polluting groundwater and dumping solid waste.
'Several studies were conducted and they revealed that the Coca-Cola plant has contaminated the water and soil of the area. So the company must pay for it,' NK Premachandran, the state minister for water, told AFP.
Coca-Cola dismissed the panel's findings, saying that any claim must be taken to the courts.
It said numerous investigations by the state government and others had cleared the company of any wrong-doing.
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