Assam Tea Employees' Provident Fund Organization attaches another Apeejay garden property

OUR CORRESPONDENT

TINSUKIA: The Assam Tea Employees' Provident Fund Organization (ATEPFO), Tinsukia, attached the property of yet another tea garden owned by Apeejay Tea Limited on Friday.

ATEPFO officials led by Assistant PF Commissioner-cum-Recovery Officer Mridul Hussain attached the property of Badlebheta Tea Estate for allegedly defaulting in depositing outstanding Provident Fund (PF) dues of its employees amounting to Rs 6.9 crore. This lapse on the part of the tea estate management amounts to 'not honouring' the 'demand notice' served to them earlier.

All the tea gardens owned by Apeejay Tea in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts received similar demand notices from the ATEPFO. The default amount has exceeded Rs 38 crore.

Out of the seven tea gardens in the Tinsukia district, the ATEPFO has already attached Talap TE on March 23 this year. Following this attachment, Apeejay Tea Limited will be unable to sell, transfer or lease out its immovable and movable property of the tea estate. Apeejay Tea Limited has 17 tea gardens in Assam.

Rishav Kalita, the central general secretary of the Assam Chah Karmachari Sangha (ACKS), reiterated his demand to hold a tripartite meeting involving the ACKS, the Management and the Government. He regretted that despite attachment and other punitive measures, the Kolkata-based management of Apeejay Tea Limited remained indifferent.

This correspondent attempted to contact a Kolkata-based executive of the company but failed.

ACMS secretary Rahul Tanti and Asam Chah Karmachari Sangha(ACKS) secretary Hitendra Baruah were present at the initiation of the action by the PF authorities.

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