March to Plachimada Begins . . .

Thiruvananthapuram:The march to Plachimeda demanding the closure of the Cola Factory, as part of the strike being conducted by National Alliance of People's Movement (NAPM), began here. The march was inaugurated by Medha Patkar who handed over the flag to Captain Suresh George at the Satyagraha Pandal in front of the Secretariat. The journey will conclude at Plachimeda on 26 July 2005.

In her address, Medha Patkar opined that the decision of the Kerala Government to appeal to the Supreme Court against the High Court verdict is a victory for the strike held by NAPM. The shut down of the factory is the only end to the strike. She added that the opposition is only against those industries that destroy the environment and not against development. The nation needs developmental ventures that benefit the people. Whatever be the course of development, any activity that involves the exploitation of natural resources should be undertaken only with the approval of Grama Sabhas. The onus of putting an end to the strike rests with the Government, said Medha Patkar. T.Peter and D.Vinayachandran also spoke on the occasion.