M A I N   N E W S

One month on, 5,748 still missing in Uttarakhand
Won’t be declared dead yet, says CM Ex gratia disbursal begins today

Bahuguna, however, said the process of paying monetary relief of Rs 5 lakh each to relatives of the dead and those missing in the flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains that struck the hill state on June 15 will commence from tomorrow. He also said the mission to trace the missing will continue.

Ground report Only 196 bodies on the worst affected Kedarnath-Gaurikund axis have been cremated so far Five feet debris is lying on the Kedarnath Temple premises and inclement weather continues to hamper operations Bodies have also been sighted in the Rambada area, a few kilometres from the shrine, but these couldn’t be reached Relief material is being transported by mules and helicopters to affected areas whenever weather permits BSNL lines have been restored in all affected villages

But if the missing persons are found, the family will have to return the relief money, he said at a joint news conference with Union Minister of State for Planning and Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla.

When asked whether the missing are being presumed dead, Bahuguna said, "This is hoping against hope, but we can't declare them dead.” Last week, the Chief Minister had said that the missing will be presumed dead if they remain untraced till July 15.

Out of Rs 5 lakh to be given to the next of kin of the missing, Rs 3.5 lakh will be paid by the Centre and the rest by respective state governments. "After tabulation, of lists of missing persons received from other states and the ones available with us, a total of 5,748 persons are missing till date. Of this, 934 are from Uttarakhand," he said. "The mission to find them out will go on as we still hope that the missing surface and return to their homes."

A fortnight back, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said the death toll could be around 900.

In New Delhi, National Disaster Management Authority vice-chairman Shashidhar Reddy said the process to declare the missing persons ‘dead’ will be the same used after the 2004 tsunami. The missing will have to be declared ‘dead’ to clear the legal formalities for descendants of the deceased. Only declaration of death can be used to claims insurance or to transfer family property. Admitting that debris removal at the Kedarnath temple was being badly affected by inclement weather, the CM said the National Disaster Response Force has not been able to drop equipment needed to clear the debris lying in the shrine premises.

Hoping against hope If a missing person is found, the family will have to return the relief money The Chief Minister had said last week that the missing will be presumed dead if they remain untraced till July 15 The process to declare the missing persons ‘dead’ will be the same as used after the 2004 tsunami

Bodies have also been sighted in the Rambada area a few kilometres from the shrine, but the team engaged in the exercise has not been able to reach them. Relief material is being transported by mules and helicopters to affected areas whenever weather permits, Bahuguna said. He also said BSNL lines have been restored in all affected villages. About the formation of a glacial lake at Satopanth beyond Badrinath, the Chief Minister said a report by a team of experts that visited the area says there is no threat perception, as there is no stagnation of water in the lake.

Bahuguna said a long term plan for infrastructural reconstruction of the 'char dhams' is being prepared in consultation with the GSI and environmental experts, which will soon be submitted to the Centre. Shukla said a Cabinet sub- committee had been constituted to ensure rehabilitation of the flood-hit people. — PTI (With inputs from Ajay Banerjee in New Delhi)