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Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Bhopal Gas Tragedy - 30 Years On Dec 03,2014

 
Bhopal was struck by one of the worst industrial disasters when 40 tonnes of poisonous Methyl Isocynate (MIC) gas leaked from the Union Carbide factory, killing over 1700 and affecting more than 5 lakh people.
 

Thirty years later on Dec 03,2014, its effects are still visible in the children and grandchildren of those who survived.

Activists claim many of the second and third generation children are born with congenital defects.


Note
  

The makers of Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain have released a gripping trailer of the social thriller based on the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. One of the biggest chemical disasters of all time, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy has been shrouded in controversy ever since it happened on the night of December 3, 1984 and the film tries to recreate the events that led to the catastrophe.
 
The trailer of Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain holds an elusive promise that the film will tell the untold story of what actually happened that night. As locals welcome the pesticide plant Union Carbide Corporation plans to setup in their city, an Indian journalist begins his informed struggle against this move. A lifestyle journalist from abroad tries to help him raise his voice against the potential threat of having a pesticide plant setup in a densely populated area. However, their effort fails and the factory continues to spew poison in the heart of Bhopal.
The film showcases an international star cast, with Martin Sheen, Kal Penn and Mischa Barton playing prominent roles - a first for any Indian film. Martin Sheen plays the part of Union Carbide Corporation’s CEO Warren Anderson. Mischa Barton is a foreign based lifestyle reporter who tries to help an Indian journalist played by Kal Penn to raise a voice against the dangers of having a pesticide plant at the heart of a city. Rajpal Yadav and Tannishtha Chatterjee represent the unfortunate local people in Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain.
Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain, directed by Ravi Kumar and produced by Sahara Movie Studios and Rising Star Entertainment will release in India and abroad on 5th Dec, 2014.

Union Carbide Corp., now a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co., says it has provided sufficient compensation and relief to the victims and survivors of the gas leak. In 1985, a year after the disaster, Union Carbide identified 94 percent of the approximately 500,000 victims as “being temporarily injured” and gave them roughly $415 each.
Four years later, as part of a settlement, the company agreed to pay $470 million to the Indian government. Union Carbide has said that, under the terms of the settlement, the government assumed responsibility for distributing the money and providing medical coverage to Bhopal residents in the event of future illnesses. Protesters, meanwhile, say that money was insufficient — just 15 percent of what the government initially sought — and only half of what the Indian Council for Medical Research, a public-health organization, said is necessary to rehabilitate survivors.

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