There is a plan to set up a bottling plant of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages in Jamner MIDC of Jalgaon district of Maharashtra.
At present this project is only on paper and the construction of the factory has not started. But controversy has started over this project regarding water, environment and employment.
On one hand, local social workers and farmers are opposing it. On the other hand, the state government claims that this will bring huge investment and generate employment opportunities.
BBC Marathi went to Jamner and talked to local activists, environmental experts and government officials. Along with this, the government's side should also be known.
The company has not yet commented on BBC's questions.
In the year 2004, the movement against the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Plachimada village of Kerala became a topic of discussion in the entire country.
Local people had accused the company of overusing groundwater and polluting the water.
After several years of agitation and legal process, that plant was closed.
Even today, Plachimada is seen as an example of the conflict between industrial development and people's rights over water.
Now, after almost two decades, there is a plan to set up another big Coca-Cola bottling plant in Maharashtra.
The state government has announced that a new greenfield project will be set up in Jamner MIDC of Jalgaon district. With this, there will be an investment of about Rs 1,200 crore in the state.
Social activist Ajay Patil came to know about this project from the newspaper. After this he started a campaign against it.
He says, "I read in the newspaper that water would be given to the Coca-Cola company from the Waghur dam. I was surprised to see the quantity of water mentioned in the news."
Ajay Patil says that his protest is not against any industry, but against the amount of water used for it.
He says, "We are not against this project. But out of 160 villages in Jamner taluka, about 100 villages are suffering from water shortage. Even during the rainy season, people have to buy water."
"In some villages, people extract water by digging pits in the dry river. Under such circumstances, why is a project that uses so much water being brought here?"
Ajay Patil introduces himself as a former journalist and social worker.
For the last few months, he has been roaming in Jamner taluka and collecting information about this project. He is asking for documents under Right to Information i.e. RTI and is going from village to village and telling people about it.
He says that answers to many basic questions have still not been received.
He says, "How much land will be given to the company, how much water will be given and what will be the electricity rates are not known. It is also not known where the dirty water will go after cleaning the water."
"It is being said that employment will be provided, but it has not been made clear how many people will be provided employment. That is why we are collecting documents. We will have the data, only then we will be able to present the facts to the people."
Ajay Patil is not the only one opposing this project in Jamner. Farmers, social workers and environmental experts are also raising questions about this.
He says that this dispute is not just about one company but about the use of local water.
Rajendra Gadgil, an environmental expert who works on water issues in Jalgaon, says that it is important to understand the structure of the Waghur Dam and the condition of the water in it.
He says, "The main source of water in the Waghur Dam is Ajanta Ghat. There is always a serious water problem in Marathwada. There is a large part of Maharashtra where there is less rainfall. Therefore, the Waghur Dam does not fill naturally every year."
Rajendra Gadgil says that the dam has been filling for the last few years, but the effect of climate change is also behind this.
He says, "Now anytime there is heavy rain, the dam gets filled. But filling the dam does not mean that water will always be available."
He says that an industry like Coca-Cola should be looked at not only from the investment point of view but also from the water use point of view.
He says, "Coca-Cola is not good in terms of environment, health and water resources."
According to Gadgil, many parts of Jalgaon city still do not get regular water.
He says, "Our dam is only 70 percent full. Still, water comes somewhere after three days, somewhere after four days and sometimes after five-six days. The administration should answer these questions."
Jamner MLA and Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan does not agree with these objections.
He says that there is no shortage of water in Jamner and this project is necessary for employment.
Mahajan says, "There is no shortage of water anywhere here. We have a dam of eleven and a half TMC. The required water for the industry is available."
He says that the necessary facilities for the industry are already present in Jamner MIDC.
He says, "There is water supply, electricity lines and the place is near the highway. It is important for people to get employment and that is why this project is important."
Jalgaon MIDC regional officer Deepali Rasve told BBC Marathi, "Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages has asked for five MLD or 50 lakh liters of water every day for this project. The process of providing this water from Waghur dam is underway."
According to Rasway, company officials have visited the project site four to five times so far.
MIDC is responsible for providing roads and electricity for this project.
The company has asked for 33 KV electricity connection. Meetings are going on in MIDC regarding this.
Rasway said that Coca-Cola is a 'red category' industry. Therefore, approval from Maharashtra Pollution Control Board will be necessary for this project.
The company will also have to implement the policy of 'zero liquid discharge'. This means that it will be the responsibility of the company to clean the dirty water coming out of the factory.
According to Rasve, the company has also asked for water from Tapi river along with Waghur dam.
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, in its official press release issued on 12 December 2023, had given information about the greenfield factory being set up in Lotte-Parshuram MIDC, Ratnagiri.
According to the company, this factory is being built on 88 acres of land. There will be an investment of Rs 1,387 crore and 350 people will get employment.
The project has also been announced for Jamner. But the company has not yet released any official information about how many people will get employment from this.
Social activist Gaurav Khodpe raises questions on this issue.
He says, "It is stated on Coca-Cola's website that only six thousand people have been employed in all its plants in India. How much benefit will Jamner get from a company that uses so much land, water and other resources?"
But no response was received from the company till this article was published.
The construction of the factory in Jamner has not started yet. But disputes over water, environment and employment have already started.
