Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan has urged the Civil Aviation Minister, Asok Gajapathy Raju to withdraw the new regulation for bringing bodies of nonresident Indians who pass away in a foreign country.
The new regulation requires 4 documents to be submitted at the airports where the body is received.
The regulation also stipulates the formalities are completed only when the permission is granted from the native country.
In a letter addressed to the civil aviation minister, the chief minister has said that the new regulation is not practical and cannot be accepted. He pointed out that what was needed is swift measures to bring the bodies of deceased persons to their native places.
The letter also stated because of this new regulation, the body of Prakash Damodaran could not be brought to his home, who had passed away in Dammam in Saudi Arabia recently. His body has been kept in Dammam, as the new regulation stood as an obstacle to bring his body to Kerala. This had led to a widespread protests from the organizations representing nonresident Indians.
The resistance from the State also had its impact, as permission was later given to bring his body to Karipur International Airport. It has been learned that the Union Health Deputy Director, Surjith Singh had given direction to officials of Karipur airport in this regard.
