A large number of members of the Tamil Maanila Payaneettalar Nala Sangam observed a fast in front of the Collectorate here on Monday to protest against the housing cooperative societies taking action against the defaulters of the loan dues.
A release of the Sangam said that poor farmers, farm workers and handloom weavers have taken housing loans from the housing cooperative societies in the State. Due to poverty, they could not repay the loan dues in time. The indifferent attitude of the society office-bearers in levying penal interest for the loan dues has further increased the burden on the hapless people. The cooperative societies have launched distraint proceedings against the poor people who could not pay back the loan dues and have also been insulting them by publishing their names in the papers. They also threaten the borrowers with dire consequences, forcing them to commit suicide.
The Chief Minister during the election campaign assured that no distraint proceedings would be launched in the state and the problems confronting the borrowers of loan from the cooperative societies would be solved amicably. They demanded the government to do away with the distraint proceedings with immediate effect. G.K. Prabakaran, State secretary of the Tamil Maanila Kootturavu Payaneettalar Nala Sangam, led the fast. D. Pandian, senior CPI leaderspoke.