State Government has decided to provide assistance worth Rs 2 lakh each to nearest heirs to State’s pilgrims who lost their lives in natural disaster in Uttarakhand due to excessive rains.
This amount will be sanctioned to heir to the dead or missing pilgrims presumed dead by concerning collector under Revenue Book of Circulars 6-4. Principal Secretary Revenue and Commissioner Relief RK Chaturvedi has issued directives and guidelines to this effect to all collectors. The orders will be effective from June 17 to September 15, 2013.
Confirmation of calamity-affected pilgrims, death certificates issued by local police officers authorised by Uttarakhand government or in-charge officer of government hospital there or death certificates issued by revenue officers posted at Madhya Pradesh relief camps at Dehradun or Haridwar will be required. These revenue officers will issue death certificates after recording co-pilgrims’ statements and preparing panchnama.
The cases in which death of affected persons is not established through above-mentioned process, but their going to pilgrimage is proven and he or she is reported missing, the nearest heir to concerning missing pilgrim will be provided immediate financial assistance worth Rs 50,000 on his application, or on the basis of received information or collector’s decision to presume missing pilgrim dead. Remaining Rs 1.50 lakh will be payable only after corroboration by co-pilgrims, family members and neighbourers, copies of travel ticket and FIR, affidavit of nearest heir to concerning pilgrim, panchnama and other relevant documents. Panchnama will have to be attested by revenue officer. Directives have been given to sanction within one week of conclusion of comprehensive enquiry.
The State Government has sent district-wise list of missing pilgrims prepared on the basis of various sources by State Disaster Management Authority (SDMS) to all collectors. On the basis of names inscribed in the list, collector will sanction relief amount and send a copy of list prepared by him to the office of Relief Commissioner. On the basis of information received from districts, a list of dead pilgrims will be maintained in a register in attached form, which will be verified by competent authority daily.