America’s Coca Cola buys Prasad Kariyawasam!

Sep 07, 2015

The Central Environmental Authority suspended the environmental protection license issued to Coca Cola factory located near the banks of the Kelani, after one of its underground fuel pipes leaked into the river for two days from August 02.

However, the CEA controversially withdrew the suspension on August 31. The Kelani is one of the key rivers in the country, and is the widest. It provides drinking water to more than four million people, or around 25 per cent of the population.

In a media release, the CEA says its experts checked the factory’s pipeline and the refinery. Finding both to be up to standards, the suspension was withdrawn, it says.

A top official of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board said they suffered an estimated loss of Rs. 132 million due to this oil leakage. The NWSDB surmises that Coca Cola will pay for this damage.

However, according to reports reaching us, there is a completely different scenario.

The US-based Coca Cola company is exerting undue pressure on Sri Lankan ambassador Prasad Kariyawasam that he should mediate to get the environmental protection license back. And that the damage to be paid be reduced from Rs. 01 billion to Rs. 132 million.

Kariyawasam has fulfilled both these demands on behalf of Coca Cola. For that, he was assisted by secretary to the urban development , water supply and drainage ministry Karunasena Hettiarachchi. It is yet to be revealed as to what sort of gratification Coca Cola will grant for the two of them.