The bank earlier this month assigned a deputy managing director (DMD), five general managers (GMs) and two deputy general managers with specific tasks for recovering outstanding loans from four state owned enterprises (SOEs) and 46 private entities.

The four SOEs jointly owe the bank Tk 83 crore. Of them, Kaliachapra Sugar Mills Ltd owes Tk 26 crore, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) Tk 20 crore, Bangladesh Autorickshaw Chalak Samabay Samity (BACSS) Tk 26 crore and Rajshahi Jute Mills Ltd Tk 11 crore.

Last year the bank recovered only Tk 3 crore from these top 50 defaulters, with no SOE-share in the money. This year, one of the SOE-defaulters, General Electric Manufacturing Co (GEMC), has committed to repay Tk 2.8-crore loan by April, JB sources said.

The JB last year wrote off Tk 601 crore of bad loans. That includes Tk 54-crore and Tk 35-crore loans given to SOEs Bangladesh Textile Mills Corporation (BTMC) and the GEMC respectively, while the remaining Tk 512-crore loan was defaulted by private-sector bodies. Most of these private sector defaulters belong to ship breaking and tannery industries.

"We expect, out of the Tk 512-crore private default loans that we wrote off, we'll be able to collect at least Tk 150 crore this year by selling off the properties mortgaged by the defaulters [as collateral]," said a JB high official.

The bank has already started negotiating with these top 50 defaulters. "If they're unwilling to cooperate, we'll file cases with money loan courts and sell off their mortgaged properties," the official added.

The individual loan-recovery assignments of the JB high officials are as follows:

DMD Dewan Mujibur Rahman to recover loans from SOEs Kalia Chapra Sugar Mills Ltd (Tk 26 crore), the BADC (Tk 20 crore) and the BACSS (Tk 26 crore) and an Abu Dhabi-based private enterprise Nirman International Construction Co Ltd (Tk 45 crore).

GM M Fariduddin to knock Sattar Jute Mills Ltd (Tk 22 crore), Rupali Tannery (Tk 54 crore), Asia Tannery (Tk 27 crore), Green Arrow Tannery (Tk 20 crore), Fauji Chat Kal Ltd (Tk 18 crore), Jabbar Jute Mills Ltd (Tk 17 crore) and ARA Jute Mills Ltd (Tk 16 crore).

GM M Ashraf Ali to press M/s Shafi Uddin (Tk 29 crore), Joy Nagar Steel Works Ltd (Tk 11 crore), Pioneer Pharmaceuticals (Tk 18 crore) and Padma Steel Works Ltd (Tk 15 crore).

GM Syed Abdul Hamid to deal with SOE Rajshahi Jute Mills Ltd (Tk 11 crore) and private enterprises Rahman Overseas Export Ltd (Tk 16 crore), M/s Md Shahjahan (Tk 16 crore), Jayantika Apparels Ltd (Tk 8 crore) and Bengal Jute Industries Ltd (Tk 10 crore).

GM Golam Sarowar to knock Khorasani Oil Refinery Mills (Tk 37 crore), Tara Nagar Re-rolling Mills Ltd (Tk 6 crore), Msrs Alam Ahmed (Tk 6 crore), Bikrampur Tannery (Tk 13 crore), SS Tannery (Tk 6 crore), Janata Fibres International (Tk 6 crore) and Grand Fashion Garments Ltd (Tk 6 crore).

GM Kazi Obaidur Rahman to persuade SS Steel (Tk 35 crore), M/s Hasna Traders (Tk 22 crore), Penguin Corporation (Tk 15 crore), Kashem Jute Mills Ltd (Tk 12 crore), Orient Trading Co (Tk 12 crore), Jilani Tea House Ltd (Tk 10 crore), Gazi Enterprise (Tk 7 crore), BK Alloy Steel Mills Ltd (Tk 6 crore), Viva Trade International (Tk 15 crore) and Alhajj Oil Mills Ltd (Tk 10 crore).

DGM M A Salam to deal with Fuad Spinning Mills Ltd (Tk 35 crore), Sohrab Vegetable Oil Refinery Ltd (Tk 18 crore), Dynamic Textile Industries Ltd (Tk 16 crore), Jisan Knitting Complex Ltd (Tk 8 crore) and Tairunnessa Memorial Medical Hospital (Tk 6 crore).

And DGM M A Karim to negotiate with Amin Uddin Jute Mills Ltd (Tk 16 crore), Mamun Traders (Tk 13 crore), Mita Textile Mills Ltd (Tk 11 crore), Rahatin Industries Ltd (Tk 11 crore), Transcom Fibres Pvt Ltd (Tk 11 crore), Char Muguria Jute Mills Ltd (Tk 11 crore), Kashem Cotton Mills Ltd (Tk 7 crore) and Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd (Tk 7 crore).