Banks continue to recover loans from farmers

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Hisar, May 22

While the farmers are trying to come to terms with crop losses, the banks have intensified their drive to recover loans even as the state government has announced rescheduling of the repayment of crop loans to the rain-hit farmers.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had announced rescheduling of payment of crop loans and waive power tariff of farmers, depending on the extent of damage caused to their crop by the recent unseasonal rain and hailstorm, in the Assembly on March 24. Later, he made similar announcements in a rally in Badhra village in Bhiwani on April 6.

Though the banks had also agreed to reschedule the loan repayment with certain conditions, they had embarked on a campaign to recover the loans. The recovery officials have been visiting the farmers and notices are being issued to them asking for payment of outstanding loans.

The sources added that harvesting season is the most fruitful for recovery of loans as farmers got cash after selling their yield. So, as usual, the banks had intensified their drive for loan recovery.

Harpal Singh, general secretary of Haryana Kisan Sabha, said many farmers are complaining of abuse and harassment by the bank officials. “A farmer, Baldev Singh of Rehanwali village, got no compensation even though he suffered losses in cotton crop and wheat crop. Cooperative Bank officials visited him and harassed him, demanding repayment of the loan. He has now decided to sell off some land of his four-and-a-half acre land,” he said.

BKU leader in Badhra region in Bhiwani district, Harpal Singh, too maintained that the local Cooperative Bank branch had issued notices to several farmers even though their region is the worst affected in the recent hailstorms.

The Hisar lead bank manager RS Sharma said the banks had agreed on rescheduling the recovery of loans from villages which had suffered 50% or above crop damage during the Rabi season. “We have asked the district administration to provide the names of such villages so that the banks can provide them relief in recovery. But we have not got the list so far. We would abide by the government’s directives to reschedule the repayment in which the beneficiary farmer would not be charged with penalty but they would have to pay the entire amount with interest,” he said.

The district revenue officer RS Dhiman said they had sent the list of villages with 50% crop losses to the bank. “There are about 42 such villages and we provided the list to the banks which asked us for the list,” he said.

A Cooperative Bank official said they had got the list and sent it to the headquarters in Chandigarh for further action. “There are farmers who don’t want to delay the repayment, so our recovery would continue,” he said.