Kathmandu, September 16 Families who have lost hope of finding relatives missing

From Onlinekhabar English

Kathmandu, September 16 Families who have lost hope of finding relatives missing after the Rasuwa floods have begun performing last rites by making symbolic bodies out of kusha grass, following Hindu religious traditions. They are now approaching ward offices to seek official verification of their missing relatives or register their deaths. However, local authorities have been unable to certify the deaths of people whose bodies have not been recovered or identified, citing a legal gap in the existing provisions. Ward offices have asked the government to make a policy decision to address the issue and establish an alternative mechanism for registering such deaths. The Rasuwa District Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committee decided last week to write to the Ministry of Home Affairs, saying the lack of clear legal provisions had created difficulties in dealing with people who went missing in the floods. The committee said the existing process for registering deaths and other vital events involving people who remain missing is cumbersome, creating problems with insurance claims and official confirmation of deaths.