THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With 42 out of the 45 killed in the Thekkady boat mishap being from other states, the Revenue Department officials are making all efforts to ensure that the compensation announced by the State Government reaches the "right" hands.
The State Government announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of persons killed in the mishap.
The amount has been allotted from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund. The Revenue authorities are now planning to seek the help of the collectors of the respective districts where the deceased resided so as to ensure the compensation is handed over to the legal heirs.
"Since the deceased were from various states it is quite difficult for us to trace the actual legal heirs.
Hence we are planning to seek the help of the district collectors," said Idukki District Collector Ashok Kumar Singh. Steps will be initiated in this regard once the government gives the sanction, he said.
Among the 42 persons from other states who were killed in the tragedy, 14 were from Tamil Nadu, 11 from Delhi, eight from Andhra Pradesh, five from West Bengal, two from Karnataka and one each from Maharashtra and Haryana.
The compensation to the three Keralites killed in the mishap is also being handed over to the (legal) heirs through the collectors of their districts.
"We have already sent the death certificates of all the deceased to the addresses received from their relatives.
A list of the deceased and the addresses to which the death certificates were sent has been published on our website 'www.idukki.gov.in'," Singh said.