more-in Bouncing back to business is proving a stiff challenge for hundreds of small-scale merchants in the State who suffered heavy losses in the devastating floods. They have also not received proper rehabilitation support. The sector-wise estimation of flood damage by the Revenue Department too has not considered their loss, according to traders. Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti (KVVES) leaders said that the affected traders were in need of a special rehabilitation package for their survival, as the total loss in the sector alone based on preliminary estimate is worth ?1,500 crore. In the absence of any particular direction from the government, even village officers are not accepting traders’ grievances on file to be forwarded to the higher authorities. “What we have already submitted to the government is just a basic estimate that unveils the magnitude of the crisis. We prepared a rough estimate after gathering details from all affected units,” said KVVES State secretary K. Sethumadhavan. He claimed that around 150 traders under the Thadambattuthazham and Thottumukkam units of the association in the district alone had suffered a loss of ?3 crore. The traders’ forum has sought rehabilitation support from the government, citing the huge amount they remit as tax every year. ?3,700 crore in tax This year alone, around ?3,700 crore was remitted as tax by traders. According to them, those who come under the Merchants Welfare Fund Scheme should be considered for aid. Victims targeted “For traders in Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts, the situation is more pathetic, as many of them have lost their stocked goods, thanks to organised plunder by suspicious groups. “There were also flood victims who were targeted during the crisis,” said Mr. Sethumadhavan. For large-scale traders, the loss in the floods can be managed by themselves, but that is not the case with small investors in the field, as they are at the receiving end now, he argued. A merchant who was affected by the devastating floods said that even excess supply of relief materials to the affected people too was emerging as a challenge to small-scale merchants in rural areas. Many families have already received provisions to survive for several months to come, and traders in such areas will have to wait for months to get back to usual business, he claimed.

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