PF lock on civic account

TT, Oct. 23: The Jalpaiguri regional office of Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation has attached the bank account of the Trinamul-run Dhupguri municipality for not paying the monthly employees’ contribution towards provident fund since January 2011.

On January 8, 2011, when the municipality was run by the Left Front, the employees were brought under the EPF scheme. In June 2012, Trinamul took over the civic body. But since January 8, 2011, no money was deposited under the employees’ contribution.

“Around 90 employees are serving at the civic body. Although they were brought under EPF, the civic body has not made any deposit with our office. As on date, the total due is around Rs 22.62 lakh,” an official said.

“A number of letters were sent by us but the municipal authorities never responded.”

He added that in July, the bank where the civic body has funds, was asked by the PF office to attach the account.

“The bank officials did not bother to pay heed to the communication made from our end. We waited for some months and now, it has been decided that the account would be attached and the funds transferred to our account.”

Dhupguri is the first municipality in north Bengal that Trinamul won in the 2012 poll.

“We are a small municipality with just 16 wards and we do not have adequate funds to pay such a huge sum of over Rs 22 lakh to the provident fund authority,” Sailen Roy, the chairman of Dhupguri municipality said.

“Now that the PF officials have attached the account, we cannot operate it. This would hinder the development process in town. We have taken up the matter with the state municipal affairs department. We have requested the officials of the department to intervene and resolve the issue,” the chairman said. “Unless we get financial and other assistance from the state, it is tough for us to make payments for the provident funds of our employees,” he added.

Left Front leaders in the district have criticised the Trinamul-run civic board for not paying the PF dues.

Salil Acharya, a district CPM leader in Jalpaiguri, said: “It is unfortunate that the Trinamul board has failed to meet even the minimum requirements of its employees. We had brought the employees under the ambit of provident fund but these people have failed to continue the basic facility for the staff members. No major development work has been carried out by the board since its formation in 2012. Instead, it has repeatedly proved its incompetence and now, they are being reprimanded and their account has been seized and attached by the PF authorities for non-payment of employees’ legitimate dues.”