EPFO officials launch inquiry into default of TSRTC dues

: The Regional Provident Fund Commissioner here has sought records from the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) on the dues of employers contribution to the PF, a senior official of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation said on Monday.

"We have started an inquiry into the assessment of dues. We've asked the TSRTC officials to appear before us with all the records on November 15. We will have to verify as to what the dues are. The process will take one or two months. We have started the inquiry from 2017 records onwards and we will check which are the months they have not paid, the official told PTI.

The official, however, did not disclose the total amount of dues from the TSRTC.

However, official sources in the Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation and TSRTC indicate that both the corporations together owe around Rs 1,500 crore towards the employer's contribution of provident fund.

Though the accounts are maintained separately, the APSRTC Provident Fund Trust is yet to be bifurcated between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

When contacted, principal secretary (Transport-Andhra Pradesh) MT Krishna Babu said the Andhra Pradesh owes around Rs 800 crore to the PF fund and they wrote a letter to the PF Commissioner seeking time to pay the same in 12 installments.

We (AP) are having dues of Rs 800 crore. We (APSRTC) are losing Rs 1,200 crore every year. We are not able to pay the employer contribution to the PF Trust. We wrote to the PF commissioner. But we are paying to employees as and when they retire from service. So, technically, they do not have any problem," he told PTI.

He said the situation is similar to most of the PSUs which were making losses.

He further said as the employees of the APSRTC would be merged with the state government, there will not be any problem.

A senior official of the TSRTC said they owe over Rs 750 crore to the Trust.

Meanwhile, the indefinite strike by the employees of TSRTC entered the 38th day on Monday. The agitating employees held sit-out dharnas in front of residents of ministers and ruling party MLAs. However, police forcibly removed them.

Employees and workers unions of TSRTC started the indefinite strike from October 5 across Telangana on a call given by the JAC of TSRTC, demanding merger of the RTC with the government and recruitment to various posts, among others.