the goan I network
VASCO
In what is being seen as a major relief, the Goa Barge Owners Association (GBOA) has claimed that the State Level Banking Committee (SLBC) convened a meeting with banks and instructed them to go slow on recovery of loans of barge owners.
According to GBOA President Raymond D’Sa, a meeting of SLBC was convened in Panaji recently as directed by Finance Secretary on the instructions of Union Minister for Finance (State) Shiv Pratap Shukla, after a GBOA delegation had met the minister in New Delhi.
“Instructions were given by Shukla to the Finance Secretary to relax the loans of Goa barge owners as we are not wilful defaulters. In the meeting, SLBC Chairman who had arrived from Mumbai told all the banks to speak to their head offices to stop taking action on Goa barge owners
for the next six months,” claimed D’Sa.
“We told the SLBC chairman that we are not asking for a 100 per cent waiver, but only requesting to freeze our loans after OTS debt relief and we are ready to pay the loans once our business starts in Goa.”
“It was our humble request to the SLBC chairman to give us time to repay our loans since we are unable to pay loan installments without being in business,” said D’Sa.
It may be recalled that GBOA committee members had met Shukla in Delhi and submitted a memorandum requesting financial assistance/loan of Rs 100 crore from government financial institutions to enable starting of business and pay off loans.
The GBOA members had also requested that banks and financial institutions be instructed not to proceed with coercive action under SARFAESI and attachment of collateral security for recovery of dues and that a SLBC meeting for Goa region be held so that similar instructions be given to banks and financial institution.
Some Goa barge owners had been facing action from various banks (national and cooperative) over the repayment of loans, with some banks sending notices to some GBOA members for recovery of outstanding amounts.
