Bottled water plant yet to go full throttle

3 months after inception, two production lines at Aruvikkara unit still inoperational

More than three months after launching operations, the bottled water plant at Aruvikkara is yet to see production shift gears to full capacity. Production at the ₹16-crore facility has not moved beyond the 20-litre jars which had hit the market following the inauguration by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in January this year. Of the three production lines, only one is operational. The Kerala Irrigation Infrastructure Development Corporation (KIIDC), which runs the plant, had announced plans to bring out one and two litres, and 750 ml and 500 ml bottles under the KIIDC’s ‘Hilly Aqua’ brand. The KIIDC has been marketing the 20-litre jars through the Kudumbashree, but the market has been generally sluggish due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, the Irrigation Department agency has been supplying it to venues such as the Jimmy George Indoor Stadium where the COVID-19 vaccination camp is in progress.