DEHRADUN — The Uttarakhand government has initiated the procedure to issue death certificates for the 67 people still missing following the devastating flash flood and debris slides that struck Uttarkashi’s Dharali village last month.
Health Secretary R Rajesh Kumar confirmed that a letter was sent to district magistrates and registrars of deaths and births on Thursday, directing them to commence the process of registering deaths after a thorough probe. The sudden calamity on August 5 left several trapped, with two bodies retrieved and 67 people subsequently declared missing. The government has announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased.
Normally, death registration requires a report from a specified person, but in this extraordinary circumstance, registration will be based on the report of a public servant after proper verification, following an exception in the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969.
Categorization and Verification Process
To streamline the process, the missing persons have been categorized into three groups:
• Permanent residents of Uttarkashi.
• Residents of other districts of Uttarakhand.
• Tourists or persons from other states.
For missing permanent residents of Uttarkashi, a close relative must submit a notarized affidavit and a missing person report. A designated officer will then conduct a detailed investigation and issue a provisional order of presumed death. This list will be published in newspapers and on government websites, allowing for a 30-day period for objections. If no objections are filed, the final death certificate will be issued.
For victims from other districts or states, the process involves detailed verification using extensive data, including witness statements, mobile service provider call records, police reports, relief camp records, and affidavits from relatives. If the victim is from another state, the home state’s designated officer will forward their verification report to the affected area’s officer for final confirmation.
The current guidelines follow similar procedures used after the February 2021 calamity in Chamoli and the large-scale disaster following the Kedarnath floods in 2013, for which the state had to seek instructions for death registration.