Shimla, Sep 6 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh government will consider possibilities of faster declaration of deaths of persons going missing in natural disasters, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said in the state Assembly on Friday.

Intervening in reply to a question of Nand Lal (Congress) regarding ex-gratia grants to families of people missing in disaster, Sukhu said the frequency of incidents of cloud bursts was increasing and according to existing rules, a person going missing can be declared dead only after seven years. This is causing huge inconvenience and emotional trauma to families of the deceased, he said.

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Earlier, replying to the main question, Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi informed that during the past two years, 41 persons have gone missing in natural disasters but they will be declared dead only after seven years.

The government had relaxed this condition for a limited period during natural disaster in Uttarakhand and the matter being serious, there is a need to make such provisions in future also but the matter pertains to the Union Government, Negi said.

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This procedure was also prescribed for Himachal Pradesh after natural disasters in 2023, he added.

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