Indian man missing in Turkiye quake found dead
Kotdwar (Uttarakhand), Feb 11: An Indian national missing in Turkiye since the massive earthquake on February 6 was found dead on Saturday in the rubble of a hotel where he was staying.
Vijay Kumar Gaud, who hailed from Uttarakhand's Pauri district and was working for a Bengaluru-based company, had gone to Turkiye on an official assignment.
With his face crushed beyond recognition, Gaud was identified with a tattoo of the word "Om" on one of his hands, his family said here quoting Indian embassy officials.
Gaud was a resident of Padampur area in Kotdwar in Pauri district. His clothes had been found on Friday.
"We inform with sorrow that the mortal remains of Shri Vijay Kumar, an Indian national missing in Turkiye since February 6 earthquake, have been found and identified among the debris of a hotel in Malatya, where he was on a business trip," the Indian embassy in Turkiye tweeted.
Gaud's wife and son, who were hoping against hope for some positive news, were inconsolable as their worst fears had come true. Friends and relatives flocked to Gaud's house to express their condolences to the bereaved family.
His body will first be flown to Istanbul and then taken to Delhi. It may take three days for his body to reach Kotdwar, family sources said quoting Indian embassy officials.
"Our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. We are making arrangements for the earliest possible transportation of his mortal remains to his family," the embassy said on Twitter.
Gaud worked for Oxy Plant India Pvt Ltd and was on an official assignment, his elder brother Arun Kumar Gaud said.
"His phone rings but no one responds," Arun had told PTI after his brother went missing.
His wife and six-year-old son had last talked to him on the phone on February 5 and he was to return to India on February 20, he had said.
The Ministry of External Affairs had said on Wednesday that an Indian was missing and 10 others were stuck but safe in remote regions following the quake.
The number of Indians residing in Turkiye was around 3,000, out of which about 1,800 live in and around Istanbul, while 250 were in Ankara and the rest were spread all over the country, according to officials.
The hotel where Gaud was staying collapsed on the morning of February 6 when the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkiye leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. Over 23,000 people have died in the region due to the temblor.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Kerala HC sets aside Sabarimala airport land acquisition process
Kochi (PTI): The Kerala High Court has set aside crucial stages of the land acquisition process for the proposed Sabarimala greenfield airport, holding that the state failed to properly assess the minimum land actually required for the project.
On December 30, 2022, the state government issued an order granting sanction for the acquisition of 2,570 acres of land, comprising the Cheruvally Estate and an additional 307 acres located outside it.
Justice C Jayachandran, delivering the judgment on a writ petition filed by Ayana Charitable Trust (formerly Gospel for Asia) and its managing trustee Dr Siny Punnoose, ruled the decision-making process under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, was legally flawed.
The court, in its December 19 order, directed the state to restart the process by conducting a fresh social impact assessment limited to examining the minimum land requirement, followed by a fresh appraisal by the expert group and reconsideration by the government.
The petitioners had challenged several government actions, including the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) report, the expert committee appraisal, the state government order approving the acquisition, and the subsequent notification under Section 11 of the 2013 Act.
The land in question, mainly the Cheruvally Estate in Pathanamthitta district, is proposed to be acquired for building a new airport intended to serve Sabarimala pilgrims.
The court found that while the state is entitled to acquire land for public purposes, the law clearly mandates that only the "absolute bare minimum" extent of land required for a project can be acquired.
According to the court, this mandatory requirement under Sections 4(4)(d), 7(5)(b), and 8(1)(c) of the 2013 Act was not properly complied with.
Justice Jayachandran observed that the authorities had shown "manifest non-application of mind" in assessing how much land was genuinely necessary.
As a result, the SIA report, the Expert Committee report and the government order were declared invalid to the extent they failed to address this crucial requirement.
Since the Section 11 notification could only be issued after a valid completion of these steps, it too was quashed.
On the petitioners' allegation of fraud on power and colourable exercise of authority, the court did not give a final finding. It held that this issue is closely linked to determining the minimum land required and can only be examined after that exercise is properly completed.
Before concluding, the court suggested that for technically complex projects like airports, the state should include technical experts in the SIA team to ensure informed and lawful decision-making.
The writ petition was accordingly allowed, keeping other issues raised by the petitioners open for future consideration.
