Pettimudy Tragedy: No death certificates yet for the missing

IDUKKI: Even as the Pettimudy landslide, which claimed 66 lives, turns one year old on August 6, the kin of the four missing people are yet to receive their death certificates. The four persons are missing and were included in the list of dead people. But the government has not yet issued a civil death order and the compensation is pending. Despite several appeals, the relatives have not received the death certificates from the concerned authorities.

The major landslide at Pettimudy under Kannan Devan Hills Plantation (KDHP) in Munnar on last August 6 claimed the lives of 70 members of worker families living in three estate layams (cluster of workers’ quarters). A month-long rescue operation could not trace the bodies of Dineshkumar, 22, Kasthuri, 26, Priyadarshini, 7, and Karthika, 21.

Shanmughanathan, a resident of Munnar, lost his two sons Dineshkumar and Nithishkumar, 19, in the landslide. The body of Dineshkumar is still missing.

Shanmughanathan told TOI, “We filed several appeals to the revenue department to issue the death certificate of the missing people. But the officials say that they need a government order to issue it. Without the death certificate we didn’t get compensation and other insurance benefits for the missing people.”

“Over 17 relatives of the landslide victims have not received compensation from the state government. They said that it is due to the lack of funds. Only four people received the financial assistance announced by the Tamil Nadu government. None of the relatives of the landslide victims received compensation from the central government,” he said.

Devikulam tahsildar R Radhakrishnan told TOI that the government should issue a ‘civil death’ order for us to issue death certificates to the missing people. “We have submitted all documents to the government and are awaiting the government order to issue death certificates. To complete the compensation distribution we need to get funds from the government. In some cases, there are disputes over compensation money sharing,” he said.