BATHINDA: Seven farmers’ organisations of Punjab will start an indefinite protest from Monday against state-level bankers committee (SLBC), which presently is headed by zonal manager of Punjab National Bank at Ludhiana.The farmer organisations want the banks to stop the practice of obtaining blank cheques from farmers while advancing loans . They also want the banks to return the cheques already obtained from farmers. On January 30, the farm organisations had handed over a memorandum to SLBC officials, which said if their demands were not met, they would start an indefinite protest from February 18.“The farm debt waiver offered by Punjab government is half-hearted. It does not legally protect aggrieved farmers, who fail to repay the loans. They end up tied in a legal tangle, as the blank cheques are used as tools against them to make them face court cases. We urge the bankers to intervene for maintaining harmony in the society, as farmers are already facing financial hardships,” said Sukhdev Singh Kokri, general secretary of BKU Ekta Ugrahan.The representatives of farm organisations Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta) Ugrahan, Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta) Dakaunda, Kirti Kisan Union, Bharti Kisan Union (Krantikari), Kisan Sangharsh Committee (Punjab), KrantiKari Kisan Union Punjab and Kisan Sangarsh Committee (Azad) are part of the team that have taken up the cudgels.“When the cheque bounces, a criminal case under Negotiable Instrument Act is filed so that the farmer is arrested or the land is auctioned. They are compelled to arrange for the repayment of the loan, even if by selling assets or livestocks or getting loans at an exorbitant rate from the market. This is unfair banking practice that needs to be stopped,” said Jagmohan Singh, general secretary of BKU Dakonda.

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