Cola scares people in NE

Itanagar, Aug 10: Presence of toxic substance in Pepsi and Coca Cola has brought down the sale of soft drinks in the NE states at a time when the two companies are struggling to come to grip with plummeting sales across the country.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Gegong Apang, during a function here yesterday, called for a total ban on the soft drinks.

The recent findings of presence of hazardous chemical contents in these brands by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had sent shockwaves through the region, following which the soft drink majors recorded a significant slump in sales during the last few days.

Dealers and retailers across the region have reported a sudden drop in sales after publication of the report.

Though many states have banned consumption soft drinks, Arunachal is among the first state in the Northeast to send samples for testing in Asom.

People in the northeastern states have stopped consuming these products despite no move by the respective governments to ban the products.

Several Manipuri women's organisations have also banned sale of the soft drinks and urged the government to impose immediate ban on Coca Cola and Pepsi.

Tripura, Asom, Mizoram, Nagaland and Meghalaya are yet to send samples for testing and to initiate measures to ban soft drinks.

The Arunachal government had decided to impose a complete ban on the soft drinks, informed state Health and Family Welfare Minister C C Singpho.

"The sales slashed by 75 per cent in the last few days," Sankar Sarkar, a shopkeeper here, said.

"We are in dilemma whether to continue to sell the brands as some customers were still asking for the soft drinks," he added.

"The state government should immediately ban entry of the products after digging out the fact," said Lala Techi, president of Arunachal Chambers of Commerce and Industries (ACCI).

"Retailers and wholesalers of the product should not be blamed as they are not involved in this any way," he added.

Pressure is, meanwhile, mounting on the soft drink brands till a comprehensive report on the investigation is being carried out by the concerned Union Ministry is out, sources revealed.

Many people have condemned the two brands, whereas, many die-hard consumers of the two brands have vowed not to switch their loyalty despite the reports of pesticides and few even questioned the authenticity of the test carried out by the CSE.

UNI