Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The state government is taking steps against registered tea gardens and factories that have defaulted on the deposit of provident funds (PF) for their workers. FIRs have been registered, gardens seized and auctioned and legal proceedings drawn up against the defaulters.
This was revealed by Minister of the Tea Tribes and Adivasi Welfare department in the Assembly today. He stated that 1,291 tea gardens and factories are registered with the Assam Tea Employees' Provident Fund Organisation. 190 of these gardens and factories have defaulted on the deposit of provident funds. 12% of the salaries are deducted from the tea workers and employees for PF and a 12% contribution from the employers, which means that 24% has to be deposited as PF.
The Minister said, "The PF defaulters are issued notices from time to time, and if they don't adhere to the notices, legal proceedings are drawn up against them. We have taken legal action against 52 tea gardens and factories under relevant sections of the BNS and registered FIRs against 53 of them. Apart from these, the properties of 42 defaulting tea gardens have been attached through recovery proceedings, and out of these the properties of 10 gardens have been auctioned and the arrears recovered from them. Receivers have been appointed for 14 gardens, and they are conducting the daily management of these gardens. However, 8 tea gardens have paid their due arrears, and so the property attachment orders against them have been withdrawn."
Under the EPFO Act, there are three distinct situations under which they are treated as PF defaulters; the first is contributing the correct amount but depositing it after the deadline, i.e., the 15th day of the month. The second is depositing a lower amount than what is actually due. The third is failing to deposit for one or more months. Under Section 14 of the Act, any person who knowingly makes or causes to be made a false statement or representation to the EPFO, or any employer who wilfully defaults on contributions, faces imprisonment of up to one year and a fine.
The minister also informed the House about the shortfall of doctors in tea garden hospitals and teachers in schools in tea garden areas. He stated that, under the Plantation Act of 1951, there are 807 registered tea gardens in Assam. But only 272 doctors and 243 visiting doctors are appointed in hospitals in the tea gardens. While there are 2,329 primary schools in tea garden areas, the number of teachers in them is 185. Similarly, the number of high schools in tea garden areas is 145, while the teachers appointed in them are 96, pointing to the skewed numbers.
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