Drawing of water from Tamirabarani river: HC reserves order

The Madras High Court today reserved for March 2 its order on a PIL seeking to stop water supply from Tamirabarani river for bottling units of beverage companies, including Coca-Cola and Pepsi, in Gangaikondan village in Tirunelveli district.
Justices A Selvam and P Kalaiarasan, hearing a PIL filed by D A Prabhakar, Secretary of Tirunelveli Consumer Protection Association, asked officials to assess themselves about the water situation in the river.
The court had on November 21 last year restrained leading soft drink manufacturers from using water drawn from the Tamirabarani for their bottling plants.
The counsel for the petitioner contended that drawing of water for the bottling plants of these companies deprived farmers of their livelihood, who were unable to take up farming activities.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi submitted that there were other companies who drew more water than themselves.
The judges then asked the petitioner as to why he did not implead them in the case.
When the PWD officials submitted that there was sufficient water in the river and surplus water was being given to the two companies, the judges said, "You used to tell the same thing" earlier also.