The poor fishermen and farmers are suffering due to the debt cases. If there is a little delay in the payment of the loan, the certificate case is given against them. The number of these certificate cases across the country is now 1 lakh 26 thousand 119.
The accused in these cases took an average loan of Tk 30 thousand per person. Some people fail to repay their loans due to various reasons including natural calamities. Arrest warrants have been issued in the name of 11,772 people among the 100,000 people accused in the certificate case. Many are fleeing due to fear of arrest as they are unable to pay. Prominent people are seeing this as harassment, according to report.
Meanwhile, banks have been instructed by the government at various times not to file certificate cases against farmers who fail to repay agricultural loans. It was also asked to withdraw the case based on compromise and stop harassing the farmers. They were told by the government in the District Commissioner's conference that farmers and fishermen cannot be harassed. But the real picture is different. Common people are being harassed in certificate cases all over the country. In many cases, the borrower is getting caught in the trap of extra interest even though he is repaying the original amount. Some are entangled in new NGO loans to pay off bank debts.
Bank officials are filing certificate cases in the name of many common people to avoid audit objections. Although many farmers have repaid the loan and many have paid more than the actual amount, they are being harassed by the certificate branch. Many applied to the bank chairman by paying the original amount. However, those applications remain in the bank for years.
The Cabinet Division has asked the District Administrators and Upazila Nirbahi Officers to dispose of all certificate cases pending for more than 15 years. Md Mahbub Hossain, President of the Divisional Commissioners Coordination Council, and Cabinet Secretary, gave the instructions recently. It is said in the working papers of the meeting of the cabinet department that there are 1 lakh 26 thousand 119 cases against farmers and fishermen across the country. Out of this, 1 thousand 962 cases were settled by the District Commissioner and Upazila Nirbahi Officers in January. This number is 115 less than last year's December. It has been ordered to settle the case without harassing farmers, small traders, and common people.
According to the information of the Ministry of Finance, Krishi Bank has filed the most number of cases in the country till last December. The bank's case against farmers is 56 thousand 800. The amount claimed is Tk 219 crore. The case of Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank is 17 thousand 598. The unpaid amount is about Tk 103 crore. Sonali Bank owes Tk 39 crore; against this, there are 10 thousand 284 cases. Rupali Bank filed 2 thousand 550 cases. Their demand is Tk 5 crore.
Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), said in an interview with the media, government banks are almost at the edge of the abyss due to large defaults." Banks cannot take action against them, but they are harassing poor farmers with cases. Farmers' debt is like a drop of water in the deep ocean. That is so little, which will not even come as a percentage compared to the big ones. It is unacceptable, unethical, and discriminatory.
ZH
