CM refuses to declare 5,700 missing as dead

DEHRADUN: Chief minister Vijay Bahuguna on Monday said his government will distribute Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of 924 missing persons from Uttarakhand. But he refused to declare as dead the 5,748 persons missing after the June 16 calamity, saying the state will not give up the mission to find them.
Bahuguna had on Saturday said the government would declare the missing as dead after July 15, a month after the tragedy.
On Monday he clarified, “Under law, no missing person can be declared as dead one month after lodging missing FIR, so the question of presuming missing person dead or declaring dead doesn’t arise.” If the missing persons are found, the family will have to return the money, he said.
Explaining the break-up, Bahuguna said Rs 2 lakh is being paid from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund and Rs1.50 lakh each from Central Disaster Relief Fund and Uttarakhand Chief Minister's Relief Fund.
The CM said that the Uttarakhand government won’t pay any money to the kin of missing persons from other states as they will get Rs 3.50 lakh from the Centre and also the money announced by their respective state governments. Bahuguna said he has asked officials to ensure speedy distribution of the money.