After seeing the massive rescue operation to near completion, the Uttarakhand government, with the aid of Central authorities, is getting ready to release the final list of "missing" persons who may be "presumed dead".
The missing persons' database is expected to be ready by the weekend, or July 8, and officially released thereafter. Sources overseeing the relief work indicated that though the number of missing may be a few thousands, it would be far less than the 10,000-figure being quoted by unofficial sources. The "duly verified" missing persons list will help bring closure to the fate of those untraced even three weeks after the Himalayan tsunami, but also pave the way for release of compensation.
To guard against any slip ups in identifying the "missing" or "presumed dead", the Uttarakhand government, in conjunction with the disaster management authorities, has undertaken a massive verification exercise. This includes aerial survey of the affected regions, verification of missing locals by the village patwari or panchayat, physical checks on the ground, tracking the missing/traced on the net through social media networks, and even a confirmation call to all cellphones active in the flood-ravaged areas between June 14 and 19.
"There are many bodies that are beyond recognition. Though we are taking DNA samples, none of the relatives have approached us for a match. The state of the bodies still buried in the debris or layers of silt is possibly worse," Centre's nodal officer for coordinating relief and rescue operations in Uttarakhand, V K Duggal, told TOI.
Duggal said the missing can be divided into four categories — tourists/pilgrims, locals, registered labour and unregistered labour. Even though rescue operations are almost complete, the authorities recently got the rescue forces to re-survey the villages for any "miracle" survivors. "We got choppers to fly low and spot any stranded survivor. No living person was found, even though some bodies were spotted," Duggal said.
An interactive forum is now active on the Uttarakhand website, with links to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, to report the missing/traced. The state authorities have secured records of cellphone numbers, with activated roaming, which were used in the flood-hit zones between June 14 and 19 and are calling these to confirm if the subscriber reached home safely. If not, they will be enrolled as "missing".
The missing locals are also being verified with the help of the village panchayats or patwaris. While the status of registered migrant workers — mule-owners, palanquin bearers, etc — is being tracked with the help of the relevant registering authority, unregistered workers such as tea-stall workers, beggars, sadhus are being classified as missing or traced through interviews at their respective locations.
Those still untraced after this massive verification exercise will be classified according to gender and duly certified as "missing". Uttarakhand government intends to treat these missing persons as "presumed dead" for the purpose of releasing compensation.
Kin of Missing Running Out of Patience
The relatives of over one thousand people, who went missing in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district after the deluge last month, are running out of patience and planning to visit Kedarnath and Rambada on their own to look for them.
With no information coming from the administration about their missing kin, they are preparing to visit Kedarnath and Rambada and scour tonnes of debris lying in these areas in search of the bodies of their relatives so that they can perform their last rites.
The relatives of Lambgaudi resident Sandip Bagwadi, who went missing after the tragedy, have been running from pillar to post to get some information about his whereabouts but to no avail.
Now his father Radhaprasad has decided to set out in search of his son on his own. "I can't leave this (search) now to the administration. It is the 19th day of the tragedy and we are still clueless about what happened to my son. I am determined now go on my own quest for him," says Radhaprasad.
The same is the plight of the kin of other missing persons from the district.
Guptkashi resident Dinesh Bagwadi, who lost five of his relatives in the tragedy, says, "We can't wait any more for the officials to disclose information about our missing relatives. We have now decided to go to Kedarnath and Rambada on our own to bring back our relatives alive or dead.
"We have unconfirmed information that some of our missing relatives were seen getting buried in the debris of mud and slush brought by the calamity in its wake. In a situation like this we can't wait till eternity to get information about them from the administration. If we go to these places ourselves we will definitely get a clue of their whereabouts," Bagwadi said.
Disappointed with the "sluggish" approach of the administration, the relatives of missing persons are preparing to go to Rambada and Kedarnath on their own is search of their dear ones, priest Kishan Sharma says.
When contacted, District Magistrate Dilip Jawalkar said he was not aware of any such plans of the relatives of missing persons.
"But if they approach us, the administration would like to consider their suggestions to expedite the process of ascertaining the fate or whereabouts of the missing ones.
"However, amid MeT department warning of heavy rains in parts of the state, it is not advisable for people to go to Kedarnath and Rambada on their own in search of their missing relatives," he said.
Friday 5 July 2013
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Uttarakhand-disaster-List-of-those-presumed-dead-by-July-8/articleshow/20920776.cms
http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=802853
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