Kerala CM urges banks to write off loans of landslide victims, survivors of Wayanad
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday urged various banks to write off the loans availed by landslide victims and survivors in Kerala's Wayanad.
He said waiving loans would not impose any unbearable burden upon the banks and so it should be written off completely.
While addressing a meeting of the State Level Bankers' Committee (SLBC) here, the CM said relaxation in interest amounts or extension of time for remitting monthly installments would not at all be a solution in the landslide-hit regions.
Many of those who had availed the loans are dead, and their land became unusable after the disaster, he pointed out.
"The only thing we can do is write off the entire loans taken by people in these affected areas," Vijayan said.
He expressed the government's strong displeasure with the act of banks continuing to take monthly installments from the landslide survivors and urged the SLBC to take a favourable decision in this regard.
Vijayan's reaction came amidst intense protests against the Kerala Gramin Bank which has allegedly charged Rs 15,000 as the monthly installment from the account of one of the landslide survivors in Wayanad.
Various political parties staged protests in front of the branch of the bank in Kalpetta on Monday.
Major landslides hit the Mundakkai and Chooralamala regions of Wayanad on July 30, almost decimating both areas and killing over 200 people and injuring many.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms likely to lash Uttarakhand on Tuesday; IMD issues warning
Dehradun/Pithoragarh (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy rain and hailstorms across several districts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, as temperatures remained markedly below normal in the region.
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Most places across all districts are expected to receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while higher reaches are likely to witness snowfall, officials said on Monday.
The weather department warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and intense spells of rain in six districts, including Dehradun and Nainital. Gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph are also expected at isolated locations in these areas and other hilly districts.
In the state capital, Dehradun, the sky is forecast to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Maximum temperatures during the past 24 hours remained markedly below normal in the hills and appreciably below normal in the plains. While no significant change in temperature is expected over the next 2-3 days, the IMD predicts a rise of 3-5 degrees Celsius during the subsequent 3-4 days.
Rainfall was recorded in several areas after 8.30 am today, with Ramnagar receiving 31.5 mm and Nainital recording 26.5 mm. Other areas, including Pithoragarh, Khatima and Champawat, also reported moderate precipitation.
Authorities have stopped a batch of 36 Adi Kailash pilgrims at the Dharchula base camp and placed the high-altitude yatra route on high alert following heavy rains and hailstorms in the district on Monday.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said the pilgrimage was halted due to adverse weather conditions. The issuance of new inner-line passes has been suspended until the weather normalises.
With 1,700 passes issued so far, pilgrims already at higher camps are being monitored for safety, the official added.
