Kerala Government slams private institutions pressuring landslide survivors for loan repayments

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has issued a strong warning to private financial institutions that are pressuring landslide survivors in Wayanad to repay their loans. The government has called this move "inhuman" and "condemnable."

State Public Works Department Minister P A Mohammed Riyas expressed his disapproval on Facebook, stating that the issue was discussed in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. He described it as "unacceptable" for private lenders to demand loan repayments from people who are currently in relief camps, grieving the loss of loved ones, and struggling to recover from the disaster.

The Minister said that government representatives will be in contact with the management of these financial institutions to address the situation. "If they persist with such a stance, the state government will take stern action," he warned.

This response comes after reports that some financial institutions have been contacting survivors of the landslides that struck Wayanad on July 30, urging them to repay their loans.

Meanwhile, the search for the missing persons in the Wayanad landslide disaster continues for the ninth day, with the Army’s cadaver dogs joining the mission. The special search operation which started on Tuesday in Soochippara-Pothukal areas is continuing on Wednesday. The mission team left for the forest area of ​​this part at around 8 am on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a special task force searched a distance of four kilometres. It is planned to conduct maximum search in the forest area and river banks. These may be by road or by airlift, depending on the areas where the dead bodies or body parts are received.

Also, the search is on in Mundakkai and various parts of Chooralmala. At present the weather is clear here. As the rains have stopped, the water level in the river has also decreased. So it is expected that the search team will be able to move to more places.

Agencies