DIBRUGARH, Feb 21 - The Recovery Office of the Assam Tea Employees� Provident Fund Organisation �attached� Kamini Tea Estate for allegedly defaulting in depositing provident fund contribution of the workers amounting to approximately Rs one crore, officials from the ATEPFO here informed.
The plantations management herewith will be unable to sell, transfer or lease out the immovable property.
The Recovery Office of the ATEPFO attached the immovable property of the tea company by an order (No. PF/ZO-DIB/Recovery/2017/E-90/07 dated 18/02/2017). The tea estate had reportedly been a defaulter since 1996. The establishment had also failed to honour the demand notice sent to them by the Recovery Office recently.
The property (plantation) under attachment is spread over 202.71 hectares. It is located near Duliajan town and there are about 280 permanent workers in the plantation.
The attachment was carried out by Ambarish Srivastav, Aditional PF Commissioner, ATEOFO, Guwahati, Sujit Kumar Baruah, Assistant PF Commissioner, Dibrugarh, Someshwar Baroi, Assistant PF Commissioner, Jorhat in the presence of officials of Assistant Labour Commissioner�s office, local leaders of Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) and police personnel.
Meanwhile, Rajen Kumar, president of Assam Tea Tribes Students� Association (ATTSA) has welcomed the decision of the ATEPFO, terming it to be a bold decision.
However, he said that the management and officials of the defaulting gardens must be prosecuted under the criminal laws of the country for not adhering to various plantation laws. The ATTSA leader has called upon the authorities to attach properties of all defaulting plantations in the State.
