Hyderabad: The crisis-ridden TSRTC received a fresh blow when the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) served a prosecution notice on the corporation as to why penal action should not be initiated against it for not obtaining the PF code number despite it being incorporated as a separate entity and for defaulting in remittances of PF contributions.
The EPFO notice dated November 8 and received on Monday, said the corporation had not complied with the provisions of the Employees Provident Funds Miscellaneous Act, 1952. The notice, issued by Regional PF Commissioner-I Vipin Kumar Sharma, listed out three violations – “failure in compliance (the 1952 act), defaulting in remittances of PF contributions and non-remittance of employees’ share of PF contributions for the period from the date of inception of TSRTC to till date.”
“Your explanation shall reach the undersigned within 15 days failing which the relevant legal action will be initiated against you without any further notice,” the notice said.
Interestingly, the notice maintains that “TSRTC has been incorporated as a separate entity but not obtained PF code…” This flies on the face of the Centre which had gone on record before a division bench of the Telangana High Court that the TSRTC doesn’t exist at all. The Additional Solicitor General, appearing on behalf of the Union government, told the Bench that the Centre had not cleared the bifurcation of APSRTC.
Earlier, sources said the TSRTC owed Rs 760.62 crore to the EPFO towards remittances.