The Kerala government has decided to officially declare as ‘deceased’ those who went missing in last year’s devastating Wayanad landslide. This move will enable the families of the missing individuals to receive compensation, bringing significant relief to the affected kin.
In a government order issued on Tuesday, Kerala announced the formation of local, district, and state-level committees, including revenue department officials, to review the list of missing persons in the Wayanad landslide. The committees will work to facilitate the declaration of the missing individuals as deceased and ensure compensation for their families.
The local level committee includes the panchayat secretary, village officer and station house officer of respective police stations. The committee will prepare a list of missing people and submit it to the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) for scrutiny.
The DDMA will review the list of missing persons in the Wayanad landslide and forward its suggestions to the state-level committee. The state-level committee, consisting of the additional chief secretary (home) and principal secretaries of revenue and local self-government, will examine the list and submit it to the government. Following this process, the government will issue an order declaring the missing individuals as deceased and provide ex-gratia compensation to their close relatives, as per the order.
According to official record, 263 people were dead and 35 people were reported missing in the landslides that occurred on July 30 last year. The order directs the local level committee to closely examine the FIRs filed in connection with the missing people in the respective police stations.