India, Oct. 19 -- From Aadhaar cards to land deeds, the devastating October 5 North Bengal floods swept away more than homes and livelihoods. With the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls likely to be rolled out soon in West Bengal, people in the flood-ravaged districts are lining up at special government camps to reclaim crucial identity documents lost in the disaster.

"Initially we had set up 21 such special outreach camps from where people can get back their lost documents. They were all located inside the relief camps set up in the flood-hit areas. But now that the people are gradually returning to their villages, we are also setting up these camps in the villages," a senior official of Darjeeling district said.

The d...