The Gujarat government will organise state wide lok darbars from Monday in an attempt to address the issue of harassment by usurers, taking strict legal actions against those involved. A government release quoting Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said stated that at the lok darbars, higher officials of the state police will take questions and issues from the citizens troubled by such lenders. “The state government has decided to free the poor and middle class families of the state from the clutches of usurers. We will make conscientious efforts and take strict legal action against those charging illegal interest,” he said. A special plan to be implemented across the state is also being made under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, based on the success of the campaign model run by the Surat police against such usurers. The release stated Sanghavi as saying, “A campaign against such lenders has been launched by the state police in all the districts over the past one week. many families of Gujarat have been provided an opportunity to be freed from the torture of these usurers. In the next one week, this campaign will be implemented rigorously.” Easing the process to file complaints related to the issue, all the senior officers of Gujarat Police are required to hold lok darbars, going in the public to take complaints, instead of the citizens approaching the police stations to file complaints, stated the press note.
