Farmers' outfit protests notice by banks on farm loans

The BKU (R), a farmers' outfit, today alleged that a nationalised bank's branch had threatened farmers that if they fail to repay loans, their photos will be pasted on its notice board.
A public sector bank's branch in Samrala has issued recovery notices to several farmers living in the area, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) president Balbir Singh Rajewal said.
The branch has asked them to repay their loans or their photos will be pasted on the branch's notice board, he alleged.
"By doing so, the bank is harassing farmers who are already under distress and facing huge debt burden," Rajewal alleged, adding several had received notices.

He claimed that it was "illegal" to paste photographs of "defaulting" farmers and said he would take up the matter with the bank authorities.
Rajewal said issuing recovery notices to farmers had come at a time when the Punjab government had been claiming to waive farmers' debt and a government-appointed expert panel was meeting growers to seek their views on loan waiver.

"Banks should know by adopting such practice, they are humiliating growers and it can lead to rise in farmers' suicides," he said.
When contacted, officials of the Samrala branch acknowledged that recovery notices had been issued as per banking norms.

"Notices were issued to all defaulters including farmers," an official said, claiming that several growers had stopped loan repayments in anticipation of a waiver.