Kerala LoP welcomes HC's observation slamming Centre over reluctance to waive loans of Wayanad landslide victims

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 8 (ANI): Congress leader VD Satheesan, who is Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, on Wednesday welcomed the High Court observation in which it criticised the Centre for its reluctance to waive the loans of those affected by the Wayanad landslides of 2024.
"I welcome the observation of Kerala High Court because we had been demanding a loan waiver for the victims of the Wayanad landslide. But unfortunately, the central government was not ready to make a decision in this regard," Satheesan told ANI.
"We had adopted a unanimous resolution in the Kerala Assembly demanding a loan waiver. Even then the Central government was not ready," he added.
Satheesan claimed that the Centre has provided similar relief in Uttarakhand, Gujarat, and some northern states, "but unfortunately, they are not doing it in Kerala".
Welcoming the High Court's oral observations, Kerala Minister K Rajan said that the State is not seeking any "mercy" but its rightful share.
"Kerala High Court itself has recognised the Centre's hostility towards Kerala. The court said, 'If you are not ready to help, tell it directly to the people.' Kerala is not seeking mercy; it is demanding its rightful share. ....'The Centre's affidavit has caused extreme discomfort. While the Centre is generously supporting other states, it is showing a step-motherly attitude only towards Kerala," Rajan told reporters.
"The Centre is testing Kerala's patience. There is no issue in Kerala intervening to waive off the debts of disaster-affected people. However, this could create technical issues such as those related to the CIBIL score. The law empowers the Central Government to act in this matter. The Kerala Government has strongly registered its protest against the Centre's stance," he added.
The Kerala High Court criticised the Union government for its reluctance to waive the loans of the survivors of the devastating landslides. The remarks came while the court was considering a suo motu case it had initiated following the July 2024 landslides in Meppadi grama panchayat, which claimed several lives and left many families displaced.
The central government has informed the High Court that the loans of the Mundake-Churalmala disaster victims cannot be waived. There is no provision in the law to waive bank loans, it said.
The Central government has informed the court that the matter does not come under the jurisdiction of the Centre, and the decision should be taken by the board of directors of the respective banks.
"If the bank is not interested in writing off the loan, it should show courage to say so openly. It is not right to say that the Centre does not have the authority. If this is the approach, the court will have to take a tough stand," the division Bench, comprising Justice AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Jobin Sebastian, said. (ANI)