By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 3 Feb: The state government has directed the cooperative banks to stop loan recovery from the disaster affected families in Joshimath for a year. Following the directions of the government, Additional Secretary, Cooperatives, Alok Kumar Pandey has issued orders to this effect. According to the order, the disaster affected families can postpone paying monthly EMIs on their loans taken from the cooperative banks for one year.
No coercive action will be taken against the affected families during this period. It may be recalled that Secretary, Disaster Management, Dr Ranjit Kumar Sinha had written a letter to the Secretary, Cooperatives, in this regard on 20 January, apprising him that , due to the displacement of the disaster-affected families to other places, their businesses were affected making it difficult for them to continue paying back their loans.
Also, nationalised and other commercial banks from the private sectors have also been urged to postpone the recovery of the loans granted by them to the disaster affected families in Joshimath by one year. According to sources in the disaster management department, positive action is soon expected in this regard from nationalised as well as other commercial banks as well.
It may be recalled that a month has passed since the disaster in Joshimath city. However, so far, final compensation to be paid to the disaster affected families has yet to be decided or paid, except the interim relief, since the government is still waiting for the reports on the status and nature of the disaster from the eight Central agencies conducting studies and surveys in the disaster affected areas of Joshimath.
Some pre-fabricated structures are being constructed to house the affected families, but it is not clear whether the affected families will accept these homes as their new permanent homes. The disaster affected families have been living in camps for one month. Presently, 904 members of 249 families are living in relief camps, while 91 members of 47 families have shifted to relatives’ homes or rented accommodation.
