The Registrar General’s Department has decided to issue death certificates for 203 individuals reported missing due to landslides and floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah.
Registrar General Shashi Devi Jaladeepan stated that, according to the special gazette notification issued by the government on December 2, a person who has gone missing during a state of emergency can be legally declared deceased if no information about the individual is found within two weeks.
She noted that the decision aims to facilitate the swift release of government compensation for the families of those missing. All required legal procedures for the issuance of these certificates have already been implemented.
If a village officer (Grama Niladhari) confirms that a person, relative, or acquaintance has gone missing due to the disaster, the authority to issue the death certificate has been delegated to the respective District Deputy Registrar.
In cases where no objections have been raised regarding the missing individual, the application will be approved by the District Secretary and subsequently authorized by the Deputy or Assistant Registrar General appointed by the Registrar General.
