Farmers in Bhongir are upset because they haven’t received the loan waiver funds promised by the State government. On Tuesday, they protested in front of the Chandupatla Rythu Vedika, accusing the bank chairman and staff of neglecting their duties. During the protest, the farmers locked the bank chairman, Mandadi Lakshmi Narasimha Reddy, and the staff inside the Rythu Vedika while they staged a sit-in protest outside.
Officials explained that the government had approved Rs 40 crore in loan waivers for 300 farmers. However, only Rs 7.49 crore had been sanctioned in three phases to 90 farmers. Despite this, none of the farmers had received the funds due to what they described as negligence by the bank management.
The farmers gathered in front of the bank, demanding that the loan waiver funds be released. During a meeting at the Rythu Vedika, a large group of farmers confronted the bank chairman and questioned the bank’s failure to distribute the money. As part of their protest, they locked the chairman and his staff inside the building.
The farmers expressed frustration, pointing out that other banks in the state had distributed loan waiver funds, but the Chandupatla PACS had failed to do so. They demanded that the promised loan waiver amounts be directly deposited into their accounts.
As tensions rose, the bank management called the Bhuvanagiri Rural Police for help. Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Srinivas tried to calm the farmers, but they remained unsatisfied. Eventually, Tehsildar Anji Reddy and the SBI bank manager got involved.
Tehsildar Anji Reddy, along with bank staff, arrived at the scene and understood the reasons for the delay. They assured the farmers that the loan waiver funds would be deposited into their accounts by the end of the month. This promise helped ease the situation, and the protest came to an end.
