PUNE: A helpline set up by Shivajinagar
MLA Siddharth Shirole has been flooded with desperate calls from
many
being harassed by recovery agents allegeldy appointed by
banks
and financial institutions.
On September 28, Shirole released a mobile number (9764450568) promising assistance and guidance for those being harassed for payments. He said more than 35 people have called the helpline, alleging that banks were making threatening and abusive calls and even sending recovery agents to their homes.“Calls have come from lower and middle income groups. We explain to them ways to deal with the situation and their rights and tell them not to worry or panic. I have already written to the finance minister, the divisional commissioner and the collector in this regard,” Shirole told TOI.
“We tell them to ask for credentials and authorization letters. The Centre has issued regulations against such practices,” an aide to Shirole said.
Kailas Autade, a cab driver now selling masks to make a living, said he lodged a complaint against a financial company on Tuesday with the
Sinhagad
Road police. “I bought a television around a year ago, but haven’t been able to pay the
EMI
for the past seven months due to the financial crisis. Through the day, I get many threatening calls. Once, I even said I would commit suicide if I was harassed like this, and the caller told me to go ahead. I will call the number given by the MLA,” Autade said.
In another recent case, a businesswoman, whose money was frozen in PMC Bank, started to default on her loans. and became a target for aggressive recovery agents. “What can I do if my deposits were locked up?” she said.
A former banker, however, rationalized such practice. “Such things are not acceptable, but what can the banks do? The formal procedure is very long-winded ... banks employs means that are not quite in the spirit of the law,” the retired public sector banker said.
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