No ‘kurki’, banks will not touch debtridden farmers, says CM
ZERO HOUR Amarinder says he’s committed to poll promise of waiving farm debt
CHANDIGARH: Laying to rest apprehensions raised by the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal in the Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday, chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh clarified that debt-ridden farmers will not face ‘kurki’ (sale of mortgaged property) in Punjab.
Amarinder’s campaign managers had coined the slogan ‘Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Di Puri Rakam (end to farm debt and its recovery, and full payment for the crop)’ ahead of the assembly polls in Punjab. The CM said he remained committed to the poll promise.
During the zero hour, Akali legislator NK Sharma posed a query to the government on farmers receiving notices from banks to pay back loans. Replying to it, the CM said “no such notices were sent” and the banks were given clear instructions not to approach farmers for recovery of loans.
“Our government has made it clear that no bank will initiate ‘kurki’ of farmers’ property to recover the outstanding debt,” Amarinder told the House.
Talking to mediapersons after the House was adjourned sine die, Amarinder said the Congress had already promised in its poll manifesto to waive farm debt and was in the process to devise a mechanism to implement it. “I will get it checked if any bank has sent recovery notices to farmers despite my government’s clear instructions,” he said.
Earlier in the House, former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa questioned the government’s orders to halt ongoing development works started during the Akali-BJP regime. He said the government has the powers to issue such orders to the state departments but not to the civic bodies.
Congress legislator Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said under the Akali-BJP government, panchayats were asked to bring in resolutions that the public works department would carry out development works in rural areas. “Was that justified?” he questioned.
BJP HAILS MOVE TO END HALQA IN-CHARGES
Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Som Parkash praised the Congress government for putting an end to the halqa in-charge system prevalent during the Akali regime. “The decision should remain in place,” he said. The system of giving prominence to local Akali leaders in respective assembly segments was opposed by their alliance partners BJP a number of times.
Earlier, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief whip Sukhpal Singh Khaira raised the issue of potatogrowers, seeking subsidy for transportation of their produce to other states on the pattern of Gujarat. AAP legislator Baljinder Kaur sought relief for the kin of the four persons who died in an accident in her constituency, Talwandi Sabo, last week. Her party colleague Aman Arora asked the government to restore power connections to the state-run waterworks.