Farmers forced to pay registration fee on agriculture loan

Sat Singh

Tribune News Service

Bhiwani, December 9

Despite the hassle-free agriculture loans guaranteed to the agrarian community under the Haryana Agriculture Credit Operations and Miscellaneous (HACOM) Act, farmers of the district are being made to pay in the name of registration and computer fees.

Satish Kumar, a farmer from Chehad Kalan village, said his father, Ishwar Singh, had taken a loan of Rs 4 lakh from Sarv Haryana Gramin Bank on November 29. The Revenue Department refused to accept his loan under Section 4 of the HACOM Act, which bars charging of any fees from farmers, he said.

“I was made to pay Rs 1,000 as registration fees and another 200 rupees as computer fees,” he claimed. He said the money charged was in cash.

Satbir Singh, another farmer from Dhani Silawali village, said he wanted to seek loan of Rs 5 lakh from a local bank, but had to abandon the idea after learning about the charging of registration and computer fees by the department.

He said when he tried to find out the expenses, he was asked to arrange Rs 5,000 to be paid at the time of mortgage deed registration.

Balbir Singh, secretary of the All-India Kisan Sabha in the district, said charging of any fee from the farmers opting for agriculture loan was illegal. He said they had raised the matter before the Deputy Commissioner through a memorandum.

He said they had been receiving numerous complaints from farmers about the issue, but the government Revenue Department was taking undue advantage of farmers’ ignorance.

According to the provisions of the Act, there is no need for farmers to go to the sub registrar’s office for getting the mortgage deed registered.

Ram Singh Bishnoi, district revenue officer, if the bank presented the file under Section 4 of the Act, the office did not charge anything; if not, they were bound to computerise it and charge fees.