Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, on Thursday, urged union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to direct insurance companies to disburse at least 50 per cent of the insurance claim to the traders, shopkeepers and citizens affected by the floods. Victims should get the remaining sum assured as soon as possible by completing the paperwork.
In a letter to Sitharaman, Thackeray said that Mumbai, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara were hit hard by the floods in July, which caused extensive damage to lives and property. The Chief Minister’s Office said that insurance companies have shown their readiness to pay 50 per cent of the total insurance amount on the basis of the panchnama. “However, for this, the head of the insurance companies and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) need to get appropriate instructions from the central government,” the CM said in his letter. He recalled that the central government had earlier instructed insurance companies to do the same during Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala floods.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that insurance companies should settle the claims expeditiously and not insist on providing necessary documents for the settlement of claims. Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde too expressed the need for immediate disposal of insurance claims.
Banks have also been requested to provide loans at concessional interest rates.
The CM, in another meeting with the representatives of the State Level Bankers’ Committee, said all banks should immediately start their branch operations in affected areas, and provide loans at concessional interest rates to the traders who have suffered losses and working capital to those who want to repay the loan instalments. Thackeray also requested the banks to give victims a few months’ concession.