Wayanad landslides: Kerala Bank writes off dues of victims with loan obligations worth Rs 30 crore

Thiruvananthapuram: People of the landslide hit Chooralmala-Mundakkai regions of Wayanad in Kerala owed nearly Rs 30 crore to various banks on account of loans availed for purposes like agriculture, housing and vehicle.

Kerala Bank, a cooperative bank under the state government, has already decided to write off the loans owed to them availed by the landslide victims. Other banks are also likely to make similar announcements soon.

State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) convenor Pradeep K S told DH that as per a preliminary estimation, people of the region had pending bank loans to the tune of Rs 29 crore. A major chunk of it is with the Kerala Gramin Bank, followed by Kerala Bank and other nationalised and scheduled banks.

He said that a meeting of the SLBC would be held soon to take a decision on the loans of the landslide victims.

Banking sector sources said that many of the houses that were mortgaged for availing loans could have been totally destroyed in the landslide and many pieces of land mortgaged for purposes like availing agriculture loans could have become unsuitable for cultivation. There could even be insurance coverage for houses that were mortgaged.

Meanwhile, three more body parts were reportedly traced from Chaliyar river in an extensive search carried out on Monday. Search with the aid of local residents was also progressing at the landside hit spots.

In a special drive conducted to issue fresh certificates to those who lost various certificates in the landslide, as many as 878 persons were issued 1162 various certificates. Efforts to make ready houses for temporarily rehabilitating the landslide survivors are also progressing. The state government is also in the process of drafting a memorandum to be submitted to the centre seeking assistance for relief and rehabilitation of the survivors.