New Delhi: Eighteen village councils in northern India are demanding a local Coca-Cola bottling plant be banned from extracting water from the ground, claiming its over-use has led to water scarcity in the area.

The villages, which are located in Mehdiganj area of Varanasi district – the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi – claim they have been facing water shortages since 1999 when the plant opened.

Indian villagers have accused Coca-Cola of exploiting scarce local water supplies. Credit:AP

"Elected village council heads represent the voice of the people, and they are clear that Coca-Cola is not welcome in Mehdiganj," said Amit Srivastava of the California-based India Resource Centre, which is supporting the village councils.

"It is time for Coca-Cola to pack up and leave.