TRIVANDRUM, 20 August 2006 — Mayilamma, the 56-year-old tribal activist who has been a central figure in the campaign against the Coca-Cola, ended her 1,578-day-old sit-in strike before the US soft drink giant’s plant in Plachimada village following a ban on the Coke and Pepsi by the state government. She began her strike in a makeshift tent on the factory gate April 22, 2002 and went on to receive the Outlook magazine’s prestigious Speak Out Award last year from the ruling United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi. She began her protest saying the plant in the water-scarce village was depleting groundwater and polluting environment through the sludge it discharges. “I will continue to support the global resistance against the Coke,” she said adding she would now demand compensation from the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government that invited the cola majors during its earlier tenure six years back.

Colas Challenge Ban

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have moved the Kerala High Court challenging the ban imposed by the southern Indian state on manufacturing and sale of the cola brands after a nongovernmental organization claimed its tests have found pesticide residues in the aerated drinks beyond permissible level. The companies said there was no legal basis for the ban, which was “unfair, arbitrary” and unwarranted”. “Given the company’s strong belief that there is no legal basis for the ban and it is unfair, arbitrary and unwarranted, Coca-Cola believes that it has no option but to challenge the order,” a statement that was faxed to Arab News from the company’s office in Cochin said. It claimed independent tests at accredited laboratories in India and broad have shown that their beverages were absolutely safe. “We have shared the results of these tests with the Kerala government, but they have not withdrawn the ban,” it said.

Fraudulent Builders

Local Self-Governments Minister Paloli Mohammed Kutty has asked the licensing authorities to post the list of fraudulent builders on the website after reports that the nonresident Indian investors are being cheated on housing properties. Local Administration Secretary T.K. Jose said several builders conduct road shows in the Gulf even before buying land for construction. The new website will give the status of each builder who procured a license and their projects. The process of identifying builders who have violated the Kerala building rules is under way.

Women in Sabarimala

Temple Affairs Minister G. Sudhakaran said the state was not against allowing women into Sabarimala temple where fertile women are barred. “If a categorical question is put to the government on the issue, the government would say it is not opposed to allowing women to the temple,” Sudhakaran told reporters here while reacting to the apex court notice to the government on a similar demand. He said the LDF was against discrimination on gender or caste basis and stood for equality.

Reliance Bid for Port

Reliance Industries has proposed to develop the Rs. 43.6 billion Deepwater International Container Transshipment Terminal at Vizhinjam port that enjoys one of the world’s deepest natural draughts, media reports said. The company has already submitted a proposal in this regard to the state government, which is yet to make up its mind. The Anil Ambani group’s plan to develop the transshipment terminal was aimed at supplementing its Rs. 250 billion retail foray. If it gets the green signal, the company is likely to rope in an international operator to construct and operate the terminal, Business Standard newspaper reported yesterday.

SSLC Papers Down to Ten

The board exam authorities have cut the number of papers for the Class X school final examinations down to ten from 13. An official release said the new norms for the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations would be in force from the current academic year (2006-07). The marks for English, Math and Social Sciences would be in the proportion of 100:20 for written examinations and continuing evaluation. This will be 50:10 for other subjects except IT. The duration of the examinations has also been adjusted.

Manorama News on Air

Manorama News, the television channel of the century old Malayala Manorama, has gone on air taking the number of dedicated news channels in Malayalam to three.