Sivakumar at his tea shop in Vamban village near Pudukkottai with the announcement board on the loan write-off to his left. (Photo: DC)

Pudukkottai: People hit by the recent Gaja-cyclone, including farmers and members of women self help groups (SHG)s’ are keeping their fingers crossed over whether the Central and State governments would write off their farm sector and related loans this year in the Cauvery delta districts.

But their skepticism has not stopped a small tea-shop owner in Pudukkottai district to write off all the dues of his customers for the past eight years, recognizing their individual plight post-cyclone, raising many an eyebrows here in this erstwhile Princely state.

Sivakumar, the owner of ‘Sri Bhagawan Tea Stall’ at Vamban, a small village in Pudukkottai district wanted to help the people of that area, who were worst- hit by the recent Gaja cyclone.

Hence, he and wrote out an announcement on a board that all the dues of the local farmers in the last eight years up to December 18, will be written off by him. It requires no Reserve Bank of India governor’s permission! Mr. An empathetic Sivakumar said he has been running the tea shop for the past eight years and sensed that the cyclone-hit farmers are unable to repay their dues against cups of tea and snacks they have been having in his shop so far. He wanted to help the suffering people to at least to some extent, he said and added this had prompted him to take this decision.

The villagers of Vamban and its surroundings were very appreciative of the Sivakumar’s Good Samaritan gesture.