Uttarakhand CM urges banks to speed up claims settlement to flood victims

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has asked Finance Minister P Chidambaram to direct public sector banks to relax norms for speedy settlement of claims by kins of those who went missing after flash floods hit the state in June.

At a meeting with Chidambaram in New Delhi, Bahuguna said the public sector banks should also be asked to relax norms, as done by the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), to help kin of missing victims to get access to bank accounts and claim other settlements.

Apprising Chidambaram of the situation on the ground in the calamity-hit state, the chief minister said there are many cases where the missing persons were the sole bread winners in their families which now are dependent on bank deposits.

Bahuguna said for the welfare of the families of missing persons, certificates will be issued by the government which should be acceptable to insurance companies and banks to settle claims.

However, it will be upto the finance ministry to decide if these certificates will be issued by Uttarakhand government or by the government of the state where the missing persons belonged to.