It may seem surprising that the decision of the Kerala government to establish a tribunal to judge the compensation claims of people affected by the activities of the Coca-Cola factory at Plachimada village in Palakkad district has received only a muted response…On June 30, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan announced the Cabinet's decision to set up a dedicated legal agency “to assess the actual compensation due to every applicant and issue orders to the company for compliance”…It was the first time in the State that such a tribunal was being proposed to offer compensation to victims of industrial pollution…The 13-member [high-power committee]…had consulted experts in various fields, held public hearings and drawn on several earlier studies before submitting its detailed report in March.