Telangana: Distressed farmer's family leave village as bank officials set to auction their land

Shankar could not repay the loan due to poor yield, however he pinned his hopes on the government, which he said had announced to waive loans of up to Rs 1 lakh. Two years ago, he was forced to pay Rs 40,000 by bank officials, Shankar said adding that he had expected that at least the rest of the loan amount will be waived, which did not happen.

Sangareddy: A farmer in Telangana's Sangareddy district has left his village and settled in a neighboring village after being embarrassed by bank officials who publicized his name and put his land on auction for non-payment of crop loan. Shankar Reddy of Kansanipalli said he owns 3.31 acres of agricultural land and had taken Rs 60,000 crop loan from the DCCB branch in Jogipeta town in 2012-13.

Shankar could not repay the loan due to poor yield, however, he pinned his hopes on the government, which he said had announced to waive loans of up to Rs 1 lakh. Two years ago, he was forced to pay Rs 40,000 by bank officials, Shankar said adding that he had expected that at least the rest of the loan amount will be waived, which did not happen.

This year, the DCCB officials have repeatedly issued summons to repay the loan with the interest amounting to Rs 79,641 with the bank authorities to auction Shankar's farmland on June 23.

The bank officials have also pasted a notice and a banner at the panchayat gate in his village in this regard. Considering it an insult, Shankar Reddy left the village with his family 2 days ago and went to Isnapur. ''No one will lend me money because of bank officers' notice. I could not get money by farming and even my farmland is going to be auctioned. To look after my family I need to work now, that's why I came to Isnapur. Here I will work in a factory as a laborer to look after my family,'' said Shankar Reddy.