The tragic flash flood incident that struck Sikkim on October 4 has had a profound impact, particularly with the 77 individuals who went missing during the calamity. After an extensive two-month search, these missing individuals have been presumed deceased, as their whereabouts remain unknown, Chief Secretary VB Pathak announced on Saturday.
In efforts to support the affected families, including facilitating various benefits such as compensation, the state government has chosen to adopt procedures similar to those employed during natural disasters in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
Out of the 77 missing individuals, only two bodies were recovered, unfortunately without definitive identifications, Pathak noted. The state government is extending compensation assistance of ₹4 lakh, supplemented by an additional ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund.
Pathak emphasized that the adoption of the Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh procedures will guide the process of addressing the missing persons' cases. However, the families can access these benefits after obtaining death certificates, a process expected to be completed by January.
The outlined procedure involves families filing missing complaints at police stations, which undergo thorough examination across multiple levels before being publicized through newspapers, social media, and government gazettes. For cases involving individuals from outside Sikkim, families are required to lodge complaints in their respective states, which will then be transferred to Sikkim for examination and resolution.
The flash flood in the Teesta river basin unleashed chaos in Sikkim, resulting in the unfortunate loss of at least 46 lives, alongside the distressing mystery of the 77 missing individuals whose fate, tragically, remains unresolved.
