Kerala floods: More than 11,000 insurance claims worth Rs 1,200 crore filed

Rains and floods in Kerala, the deadliest in the last century, have claimed the lives of 474 people since 29 May. Photo: PTI

Thiruvananthapuram: More than 11,000 claims worth an estimated Rs 1,200 crore have been filed by flood-affected people with four public sector insurance companies in Kerala, a top official said today.

United India Insurance Company director and general manager K.B. Vijay Srinivas said the public sector insurance companies had decided to simplify the process and dilute norms for speedy disbursement of claims to the flood-affected people.

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“As of yesterday, New India Assurance Company, General Insurance Corporation, United India Insurance Company and Oriental Insurance Company received more than 11,000 claims with an estimated loss of Rs 1,200 crore. We are expecting more claims in the coming days,” he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, adding the process of settling claims would be done soon.

More staff have been brought from other states for quick disposal of cases, he said.

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All flood-related deaths will be treated as accident cases eligible for insurance claims, Srinivas said, adding the companies will go by the list of deceased provided by the government. “The procedure for all types of insurance claims has been simplified and the companies will stick to the basic standard formalities,” he said.

As a proactive step to process the claims relating to floods, the companies have started collecting preliminary information on the loss to policyholders through phone calls, e-mails and direct communication, the official said.

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On steps taken for speedy and hassle-free settlement of claims, he said postmortem and police reports have been done away with while disposing personal accident claims.

Rains and floods in Kerala, the deadliest in the last century, have claimed the lives of 474 people since 29 May when the southwest monsoon set in over the state.