Kiran Rao part of All Living Things Environmental Film Festival jury panel
Mumbai (PTI): Filmmaker Kiran Rao has joined the jury panel of the 2022 All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF), scheduled to be held from November 17 to November 27.
Known for her 2011 directorial debut "Dhobi Ghat" and producing films like "Dangal" and "Laal Singh Chaddha", Rao said she had a wonderful time being part of the jury of the gala billed as one of India's only film festivals focused on sustainability, nature and the environment.
"The festival has always been active in spreading awareness about the environment, and I am very happy to have been invited to participate. This year's curation has some really excellent films which showcase a diverse range of environmental issues from all over the world.
"ALT EFF is an urgent initiative, and a fine example of how cinema can change our perspectives and habits, and help us preserve our natural world. I hope that people sign up and watch these films, to truly appreciate how we are one planet and all life is interconnected," Rao, also the co-founder of the NGO Paani Foundation, said in a statement.
Conceptualised by environmental entrepreneur Kunal Khanna, ALT EFF will showcase 55 films in the upcoming edition.
Started in 2020 in a virtual format, this year the festival will be held in a hybrid format, with virtual as well as limited physical screenings.
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4 workers die after inhaling toxic gas at chemical unit in Gujarat's Bharuch
Bharuch (Gujarat) (PTI): Four workers died on Sunday after inhaling toxic fumes following gas leakage at a chemical plant at Dahej in Gujarat's Bharuch district, police said.
The victims fell unconscious after inhaling the toxic fumes leaking from a pipe at a production unit of the Gujarat Fluorochemicals Limited (GFL) at around 10 pm on Saturday, Dahej police station inspector BM Patidar said.
They were rushed to a private hospital in Bharuch. Three of them died at around 3 am on Sunday, while another one succumbed at 6 am, the official said.
"The incident occurred at around 10 pm when the four workers fell unconscious due to gas leakage from the pipe passing through the ground floor of the company's CMS plant. They were rushed to a private hospital where all four of them died," he said.
The bodies were sent for postmortem and further probe into the incident was underway, the official said.
The deceased have been identified as Rajesh Kumar (hailing from Gujarat), Mudrika Yadav (belonging to Jharkhand), Sushit Prasad and Mahesh Nandlal (both from Uttar Pradesh), police said.
GFL, Dahej, Deputy General Manager Jignesh Parmar told reporters that they will investigate the matter and a compensation of Rs 25 lakh would be paid to the kin of each of the deceased workers.
"The company and the management are saddened by the incident. We have promised to cooperate with legal authorities and we will investigate the matter and bring out our report," he said.
Sub Divisional Magistrate, Bharuch, Manisha Manani said three of the deceased were from other states.
"Four persons died due to gas leakage at the GFL plant near Ambeta village. The bodies have been sent to the civil hospital in Bharuch for post-mortem and an investigation is underway," Manani said.
