Letters: Defaulters behind bars

This refers to the report "Soft action: Bankers resort to Gandhigiri to recover dues from willful defaulters" (March 21). Soft action in the form of silent demonstration in front of shops owned by borrowers classified as willful defaulters will not influence them to repay their debt. In fact, that would further showcase the bankers' weakness in recovering their dues. It may appear that bankers are resorting to a creative approach but willful defaulters are thick-skinned people, who are unmindful of such actions.

Right now, only two banks have resorted to this practice. Others might watch the outcome of such efforts and draw up action plans accordingly. Even otherwise, what is the message that bankers are sending to the public, and to the borrowers in particular? Bankers should adopt strategies to penalise willful defaulters. Bankers are - for reasons known to themselves - wary of sending such borrowers to jail. These borrowers have made life miserable for bankers. Why not make their lives miserable by sending them to jail?

K V Rao Bengaluru

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