KAKINADA: Responding to the report, ‘Woman runs from pillar to post for husband’s death certificate’ in TNIE on Tuesday, officials of East Godavari District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) stepped in and ensured that she got the certificate.
Manga Gonthi Devi of Chendurthi had hit a roadblock after both police and revenue officials refused to issue her the death certificate. Her husband, Vijay Kumar, had died in a road accident on July 3 last year. As his body was crushed beyond recognition, police records mentioned it as ‘unknown body’. Though Devi identified the body as that of her husband from the clothes he was wearing at the time of accident, police sent the samples for DNA test. The poor woman of two daughters needed the certificate to claim insurance amount under the Chandranna Bima scheme.
By the time DNA test confirmed that the victim was Vijay Kumar, seven months elapsed. Since a village secretary is authorised to issue the death certificate within one month of the demise of a person, she was told to approach the Gollaprolu tehsildar. But he cited various reasons, including the FIR, which categorised the body as belonging to ‘unknown person’ for rejecting Devi’s application. On learning about her ordeal, the tehsildar on Tuesday issued the certificate and handed it over to Gonthi Devi,’’ a release issued by the office of DRDA Project Director said.
DRDA officials further said that they recommended sanction of insurance amount to the woman. “The documents (related to the police department and death certificate) will be uploaded online for sanctioning insurance amount to the woman,’’ the release said.