The Madras High Court has directed the Union and Tamil Nadu governments to submit a detailed report on the steps taken to rescue and trace people who went missing in floods and landslides in Nepal.
The case relates to a group of 57 travellers from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry who visited Nepal through a private tour operator, ‘Super Yathra Travels’ of Kumbakonam. A sudden flood and landslide on August 26 left several people stranded, and some—including retired Madras High Court judge Sivagnanam—were reported missing.
A public interest petition was filed by advocate Parvesh Mushraf from Dindigul, seeking directions to ensure families are informed about those rescued, those receiving treatment and those still missing. The matter, initially heard at the Madurai Bench, was later transferred to Chennai and came up before a bench comprising Chief Justice S.A. Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan.
Appearing for the Tamil Nadu government, Advocate General Vijay Narayan told the court that out of 305 people who travelled from the state, 220 had been rescued and sent back to their hometowns. He added that efforts were under way to rescue the remaining 85, and that families of the missing had been taken to Kathmandu at government expense.
After hearing the submissions, the bench asked both the Centre and the state to file a comprehensive status report on the ongoing rescue measures and adjourned the hearing to next week.
