EPFO recovers Rs 33 lakh from 50 defaulting establishments in Ludhiana

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, January 31

The Ludhiana Regional Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has recovered a sum of Rs 32.96 lakh from 50 defaulting establishments during a month-long drive to recover dues and initiate penal action against defaulters.

Non-payers to face action

Legal proceedings and penal action have been initiated as per Sections 8B to 8G of the Employees’ Provident Funds & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, against all remaining defaulting establishments to recover their pending statutory dues immediately. Saurabh Swami, RPFC-1, Ludhiana

Besides, proceedings have been initiated to attach the properties and bank accounts of remaining non-payer establishments who had failed to clear dues till January 31. These defaulters will face strict penal action as per law.

The penal action entails attachment of movable/ immovable properties of the defaulting establishments and employers, appointment of receivers, attachment of bank accounts, receiving amount from third party dues, arrests and detentions of defaulters in civil prisons and filing of cases under appropriate sections of relevant provisions.

Regional Provident Fund Commissioner-1 (RPFC-1) Saurabh Swami told The Tribune here on Tuesday that the EPFO Regional office in Ludhiana had declared January as recovery month, during which a sum of Rs 32.96 lakh had been recovered from 50 defaulting establishments.

He said 37 revenue recovery certificates had been closed in January. With this, a total of 156 revenue recovery certificates had been closed during the current financial year up to January 31, of which 117 revenue recovery certificates pertained to the 2021-22 fiscal.

“Special focus had been laid to recover demands from top defaulting establishments like Rajit Paints Limited, GS Auto Comp Private Limited, Govind Rubber Limited, JSM Constructions and Nalanda Woollen Private Limited,” Swami said.

He added that a sum of Rs 20.17 lakh had been recovered by attaching the bank account of the directors of M/s GS Auto Comp Pvt Ltd. Besides, a sum of Rs 5 lakh had also been received from M/s JSM Constructions.

While revenue recovery certificate in respect of Rajit Paints had been transferred to the regional office in Bathinda, prohibitory orders had been issued against Nalanda Woollen Mills through the Noida regional office for speedy recovery of arrear demand. Another prohibitory order had also been issued in respect of Govind Rubber to attach the movable property of the establishment.

Swami appealed to all defaulting establishments to deposit assessed amounts without delay to escape penal action.

Dues run into crores

As per initial estimates, the amount of dues from defaulting establishments run into crores of rupees, which, if recovered, will give a big boost to the state exchequer.

Possible penal action

• Attachment of movable/ immovable properties
• Appointment of receivers
• Attachment of bank accounts
• Receiving amount from third party dues
• Arrests and detentions in civil prisons
• Filing of cases under appropriate sections