Uttarakhand HC to govt: Form 5 teams to search for floods missing, dead, ensure rehabilitation of those orphaned by tragedy

NAINITAL: The Uttarakhand high court (HC) on Saturday asked the state government to constitute five teams, under the leadership of a senior superintendent of police, to locate those who had been missing or presumed dead in the 2013 flash floods tragedy. Delivering the order, the division bench of justices Rajiv Sharma and Alok Singh also directed the government to “prepare the DNA profile of the victims whose bodies are found, duly inform their family members and ensure that last rites are performed as per the religious community the victim belonged to.” The court’s order came as part of the judgement on a public interest litigation ( PIL) filed by Ajay Gautam, a resident of Delhi who had alleged that more people were dead and missing than the state government has acknowledged and demanded adequate measure to ensure the last rites of the deceased.
Clubbing its observations on two other petitions related to the tragedy, the HC also ordered an increase in the compensation of victims by 50 per cent along with taking adequate steps for the rehabilitation of the children who were orphaned by the disaster which had claimed thousands of lives. “The state government is directed to trace and find out the children who were rendered orphans due to Kedarnath tragedy and to take all necessary steps for their rehabilitation including their boarding and lodging, and free education up to post-graduation. The government is also directed to provide stipend of Rs 7,500 per month to the orphans, till they attain the age of majority, to be deposited in their bank accounts through district welfare officers of the concerned district. The chief secretary of the state shall be personally responsible to execute the order in letter and spirit,” said the court order.
Reacting to the court’s judgement on the PIL filed by him, Gautam told TOI, “I am glad that the honourable court has recognized my work of the last two-and-half-years. The victims deserve to have their last rites conducted in a proper manner. With the proper implementation of this order, I hope that people whose family members, relatives and friends died in the tragedy will get some sort of closure.”