The Koraput District Consumer Forum has directed the local SBI authorities to return the land patta within a month which a complainant had kept as mortgage for taking a loan. The forum has also slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 on the bank authorities for harassing the complainant.
According to reports, owner of Utkal Cashew Industries at Janiguda in Jeypore block Naveen Chandra Pattnaik had taken a loan from the SBI main branch here by keeping four land pattas as mortgage. He had repaid the entire loan amount in July, 2012. But, the bank authorities did not return the land pattas to him.
He had met the bank authorities several times and requested them about the land pattas but no action was taken by the latter to address his concern. Thereafter, he had filed a complaint against the bank authorities in the district consumer forum.
The bank authorities, on the other hand, informed the forum that the land pattas given by the complainant were misplaced, while shifting the office to a place near Mahatma Gandhi Road in 2011.
Taking all evidences and statements recorded by the witnesses into consideration, the forum held the bank authorities responsible for misplacing the documents. The forum directed the bank to return the land pattas to the complainant within a month and pay Rs 5,000 as compensation to him.