Gangtok: The Sikkim Government has begun the process of issuing death certificates to the 77 persons still missing from the October 3 Lhonak Lake burst.
The death certificates will be issued once the family members of those missing file an FIR/Missing Person Report at the place of residence of the person who is missing and presumed dead.
Chief Secretary VB Pathak said 77 persons are still reported as missing as per Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) data.
The Chief Secretary informed that the State Government has been directed to adopt the same procedures followed in similar disaster-stricken States like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
The FIR/Missing Person Report should be referred to the concerned Police Station under whose jurisdiction the person went missing. A notarized Affidavit issued by SDM/ADC/DC regarding ‘missing’ should be filed by next of kin and should be kept as a permanent record.
The FIR/Missing Person Report should then be forwarded to the designated officer, Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of the affected jurisdiction along with a report of Police Station and supporting documents for identification like Ration Card, Family Register, Bank Passbook, Voter Card, Aadhar Card and Gram Panchayat Report.
The designated officer (SDM) should conduct a detailed enquiry regarding the missing person. The designated officer (DC) should issue a speaking order regarding the provisional presumption of death. The designated officer (DC) should publish the list of missing persons provisionally presumed dead in the Newspaper, Government Gazette in Hindi and English and also host the same on the Government Website to obtain Claims and Objections.
Claims and Objections should be received within 30 days. If no claim or objection is received within the time period, the designated Registrar of Births & Deaths should record online and issue the Death Certificate. In case of any claims and objections, the appeal would lie with the District Collector of the State.
The death certificate should be free of cost for the next of kin and should also be sent to the Police Station where the FIR/Missing Person Report was filed.
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In case the missing person is from other Districts or Tourists from other parts of India, the FIR/Missing Person Report’ should be filed by close relatives or next of kin at the place of residence in the originating district/ state.
If an FIR/Missing Person Report has already been filed in calamity-affected areas, the designated officer SDM of the affected jurisdiction should forward the same to the designated officer (SDM/SHO) of the police station at the place of usual residence for local enquiry at their end.
The Chief Secretary assured that the process of issuing death certificates for missing persons must be completed by January 2024.
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