Alipurduar, March 26 -- The Jalpaiguri Regional Provident Fund (PF) Division has lodged a police complaint against another tea garden in Dooars over alleged provident fund (PF) fraud. An FIR was registered at Alipurduar Police Station on Tuesday night against the Mathura Tea Garden authority for allegedly misappropriating crores of rupees from workers' PF contributions.

According to the PF Commission, from 2023, the tea garden management deducted Rs 2.42 crore from workers' salaries but failed to deposit the amount into their PF accounts. The revelation has sparked concern in the tea industry across North Bengal.

PF Commissioner Pawan Bansal stated: "The Mathura Tea Garden was repeatedly served notices to clear the pending PF dues of workers. However, due to their inaction, we were compelled to file a police complaint. Now, legal action will be taken against the garden as per regulations."

Data from the PF office for November 2024 shows that 2,432 workers at Mathura Tea Garden are entitled to PF benefits. The unpaid amount, accumulating in two phases - from April 2023 to June 2024 and December 2024 to February 2025 - remains unaccounted for. Despite repeated warnings, the garden authorities failed to respond, leading to legal intervention. Mathura Tea Garden is not the only one facing action. FIRs have been filed this financial year against five other tea estates, including three gardens of Andrew Yule & Company (under the Ministry of Heavy Industries), Jaipur Tea Garden and Haldibari Tea Garden. Over the past five years, police complaints have been registered against 30 tea gardens for defaulting on PF payments, while arrest warrants have been issued against five gardens in Dooars.

Trade unions have long raised concerns about the alleged PF fraud in Mathura Tea Garden, with workers staging gate meetings and protests demanding their rightful dues. INTTUC Central committee member Binod Minj remarked: "We have been protesting against Mathura Tea Garden for a long time over unpaid PF dues. Now that the PF Commissioner has filed an FIR, it confirms the validity of our allegations."

However, Bikram Singh, the garden manager, declined to comment on the FIR, stating: "This matter is beyond my jurisdiction." The plantation is owned by the Williamson Magor Group Enterprise.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.