In Nepal, flood victim denied bank account over old photo in document — Kathmandu Post
In Bidur, Nuwakot District, Nepal, 52-year-old Juthe Tamang, who lost his home and job in the August 26 flood, was unable to open a bank account to receive state aid. As Kathmandu Post reports, Sanima Bank employees told the man that his appearance did not match the photograph in his citizenship certificate, issued in 1986.
After the flood, Tamang and his wife Shobha have been living under a plastic tarp near the Trishuli River. Two concrete bridges connecting Dhunge with the opposite bank were washed away. The couple cooks with firewood and received utensils and clothing from neighbors and humanitarian aid. Tamang usually earns money carrying gravel, sand and other heavy loads, but this work stopped after the flood.
Housing assistance through banks
The government plans to pay affected families 15,000 Nepalese rupees per month in housing assistance, transferring the funds directly to bank accounts. Tamang brought his citizenship certificate and a receipt confirming his application for a national ID card, which has not yet been issued, to the bank, but said he was not allowed to open an account.
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Ramesh Pandit, manager of the Sanima Bank branch in Bidur, said the bank is trying to simplify service for flood victims, including by opening accounts based on copies of documents. After being informed of Tamang's case, he suggested that a new employee might not have taken the circumstances into account and asked the man to return to the branch. According to Pandit, aid payments through banks had not yet begun at that time.
Problems for other victims
District administration officials said similar obstacles could arise for other people who lost documents or cannot quickly open an account. Rasuwa Assistant Chief District Officer Dhruva Prasad Adhikari said the administration had proposed that the central coordination headquarters give money directly to those who lost their documents. Nuwakot administration representative Krishna Prasad Khumagain noted that the relevant district office can verify the identities of victims to facilitate banking procedures.
Tamang previously had an account at Sunrise Bank, opened to receive aid after the 2015 earthquake, but had not used it since then. The family wants to receive the money to move from the tarp into a room before the Dashain festival; otherwise, the couple will remain under the tarp.
