Nanded farmer had threatened to kill himself outside state guest house after bank had barred him from selling his mortgaged land to pay off his outstanding loan
Dhanaji Jadhav when he met Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray
Farmer Dhanaji Jadhav, 39, is very happy that CM Uddhav Thackeray talked him out of his suicide plan in December over being unable to sell his land to repay a loan. Thackeray had spoken to the collector and, on Monday, Jadhav got a call saying the state was getting the land records on his 7/12 extract suitably amended, freeing him to pay the loan.
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mid-day on December 28 had reported about the farmer from Nanded, who had claimed he would commit suicide over loan repayment issues, but changed his mind after meeting Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who spoke to the Collector regarding the problem and assured him of a solution.
In December 2019, Jadhav had come to Mumbai hoping to meet the CM and intended to commit suicide if his problems went unresolved. He claimed he had tried to sell his land to repay his loan, but the bank had refused this. He did not mention the amount of the loan to mid-day. Thackeray made it a point not only to meet the farmer, but personally called the Nanded collector and instructed him to find a solution to the issue.
Thackeray had also instructed his principal secretary Vikas Kharage to personally monitor the issue and keep him posted about the development. Accordingly the IAS officer in the CMO pursued the subject.
On Monday, the farmer received information from the Nanded collector's office, about the necessary amendments made to his land records.
'Land records amended'
The Chief Minister's Office confirmed the development. "On the instruction of the CM, the Nanded collector, along with officials from the revenue department and bank authorities, had a joint meeting. Thereafter the land records were amended in such a manner that the farmer is free to repay his loan," a statement from Thackeray's office mentioned.
Speaking to mid-day, Jadhav claimed that he has been asked to submit few papers to the collector's office to complete the formalities. "In next two to three days I will furnish the necessary papers to the district administration. I am really thankful to the administration, especially Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray," the farmer added. He did not clearly specify what amendments were done.
Jadhav had arrived in Mumbai on December 26, 2019. After spending two days on the streets, he was spotted outside the Sahyadri guest house in Malabar Hill by Shiv Sena leader Milind Narvekar.
'Will fight poverty'
Thackeray met the debt-ridden farmer and assured him assistance to sort out his issues with the bank over the repayment of a loan. Jadhav has not been able to repay a loan he took from a nationalised bank after drought and unseasonal rain destroyed his crop this year. The farmer claimed that he had offered to repay the loan by selling his land, but the bank rejected the request. "The outstanding amount was escalating with each passing day, I was left with two choices — get the issue addressed or kill myself. But after meeting the CM, my outlook changed and I decided to fight poverty instead of ending my life," the farmer then had told mid-day after his meeting with Thackeray.
Jadhav supports his mother, wife and son on the income he earns only from farming.
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