The 77 persons who went missing in the Sikkim flash flood have been assumed dead because...
Digital Desk: Chief Secretary VB Pathak stated on Saturday that the 77 individuals who went missing in Sikkim's flash flood are believed dead because they have yet to be discovered two months after the catastrophe.
To assist their families in receiving various types of compensation, including ex-gratia, it has been agreed to settle the matter using the approach used during natural catastrophes in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, he informed reporters.
A total of 77 individuals were reported missing during the October 4 flash flood in the state.
Two bodies were later discovered, but their names were unknown, he added. The state government is paying Rs 4 lakh in ex-gratia aid, while the PM's Relief Fund is providing Rs 2 lakh.
"We have decided to adopt the procedures followed in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh to settle the matter of missing persons," Pathak said in a statement.
He also added that the families will be able to receive the compensation only if the death certificates are issued.
"We expect to settle all missing persons' cases by January," he went on to say. "Families must first register a missing person report at the police station, after which it will be properly investigated at several levels before being publicised in newspapers, social media, and the government gazette," explains Pathak.
If a person from outside Sikkim goes missing, "the family must file a report with the police in their home state, which would then be forwarded here for investigation," he added.
On October 4, a flash flood in the Teesta River basin wrought devastation in the state, killing at least 46 people and leaving 77 more missing.
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