Irshalwadi landslide: Villagers demand 57 missing people be declared dead

Villagers in Irshalwadi, Mumbai, have demanded that the 57 missing people from a massive landslide be declared 'presumed dead' to receive government compensation. The families have not received any financial assistance, and a decision is pending from the government.

Mumbai: Nearly a month after a massive landslide claimed 27 lives in Irshalwadi of Raigad district, the villagers have demanded that the 57 missing people be declared ‘presumed dead’ to enable next of kin to get the ex gratia announced by the government.

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According to the government records, the families of the missing people have not received any financial assistance. Though the district collector has sent a proposal to declare the missing people dead, no decision has been taken by the government.

An official from the collectorate said that the state needs to make it a special case by invoking the Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1969 and the decision will need a nod from the chief minister and the deputy chief ministers.

Once announced dead, the relatives of the missing persons will be entitled for the ex gratia of ₹5 lakh and other benefits announced by the government.

The landslide hit the village on July 19 and the NDRF and local rescue teams called off the search operation on July 23. Now, the villagers are demanding a quick decision on the matter.

The decision on the missing persons in the Taliye landslide in June 2021 was taken within days. The Uttarakhand government had also taken a similar decision in two weeks after flash floods in February 2021 left 136 missing.

“Once again on Tuesday, we discussed the issue with chief minister Eknath Shinde during his visit. The government should take a decision at the earliest. The local administration has started preparing the records of the legal heirs and their banking records with other formalities. We are awaiting the government’s decision,” Ankush Wagh, a villager who represented the hamlets during talks with the government, said.

“As per the Indian Evidence Act, the government needs to wait for seven years before announcing any missing person dead. The powers are with the civil court. We have proposed to announce the missing person dead as a special case on the lines of the decision taken by the Uttarakhand government in February 2021. Of the ₹5 lakh ex gratia, ₹1 lakh will be given from the chief minister’s relief fund and the remaining from the disaster relief fund,” an official from the Raigad district collectorate said.

Stating that the proposal will be passed next week, relief and rehabilitation minister Anil Patil said, “It needs to be treated as a special case. The government also needs some time before the missing persons are declared dead.”

Meanwhile, construction of the houses meant for 48 families living in the hamlet as part of their relocation to a safer place is expected to begin soon. The houses are expected to be constructed on a 6.5 acre land in Chouk Manivali. The layout and clearance from the forest and geological survey of India had been obtained by the district administration.