Kerala Government Condemns Loan Pressure on Landslide Survivors

The Kerala government has condemned private financial institutions forcing landslide-displaced people in Wayanad to repay loans, calling the act 'inhuman.' Minister P A Muhammed Riyas revealed that further actions will be taken if the financial institutions persist with this pressure. The recent landslides have already claimed 226 lives.

The Kerala government has issued a stern warning to private financial institutions forcing landslide-displaced people in Wayanad to repay loans, terming the move ''inhuman'' and ''condemnable''.

State Public Works Department Minister P A Muhammed Riyas expressed his dismay in a post on Facebook, saying the issue was discussed in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

It is ''unacceptable'' that private financial institutions are ''pressuring'' people in relief camps, who have lost loved ones and are struggling to cope, to repay loans at this critical juncture, he said.

Riyas said that government representatives will engage with the management of these institutions to resolve the issue. ''If they persist with such a stance, the state government will take stern action,'' he warned.

The Kerala government's strong stance came amidst reports that certain financial institutions had been telephoning survivors of the July 30 landslides in Wayanad, urging them to repay the loans they had taken.

The number of deaths resulting from the devastating landslides in Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas of Wayanad on July 30 has increased to 226, with search-and-rescue operations still underway in the affected areas.