North East, Aakhiri Ahuti, Indigo, Delhi Police, mortal remains
Reuters

A humanitarian initiative has been launched in New Delhi to help underprivileged families from the north-eastern states if their relatives die in the national capital. Aakhiri Ahuti, a joint service by Delhi Police and IndiGo, will help people who doesn't have means to ferry the mortal remains back to their native place.

The mortal remains will be transported free of cost to north-eastern destinations on IndiGo's network.

According to Joint Commissioner of Police Robin Hibu, the nodal officer of Delhi Police's North East unit, there were several incidents in the past where people from north-eastern states were buried or cremated in Delhi-NCR without their kith or kin being present.

"Due to financial constraints, relatives of the deceased were unable to take the body back to their native place. This service has been launched to facilitate transporting the human remains of the deceased of these very underprivileged people from northeast," Hibu said.

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Under this service, IndiGo will ferry the mortal remains on a case to case basis, upon the recommendation from the office of Delhi Police's North East unit.

While announcing the service, IndiGo President and Whole Time Director Aditya Ghosh said, "I personally believe that it is our honour to co-partner with Delhi Police to take the underprivileged domiciles of north-eastern states back on their final journey."

In 2004, IndiGo's maiden flight was to Guwahati and Imphal. "This is one of our many ways to give back to the north-east part of our network," he added.

Hibu also said that Delhi Police are humbled by IndiGo's gesture to extend support to the affected people from north-east India. "More than 12 lakh people are working in different organised and unorganised sectors like BPOs, malls, private companies, hospitals, hotel industry, and as security guards, to mention some, from the north-eastern states. Ferrying human remains from Delhi to north-east by air is a costly affair," he said.

The senior Delhi Police officer believes that this service will be a great relief from both financial and emotional point of views for underprivileged people from north-east.

IndiGo currently flies to five cities in the north-east from Delhi -- Agartala Airport, Dibrugarh Airport, Dimapur Airport, Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport and Imphal International Airport.