Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 17 2008:
Following imposition of penalty on the management committee of Manipur Public School, Koirengei by the Guwahati EPF office for their failure to disburse EPF amounting to Rs 40 lakhs on time and again for non-attendance at the tribunal on time, management society's acting chairman, Chief Minister O Ibobi and the Education Secretary may find themselves in an unpleasant and awkward position.
A highly reliable source informed The Sangai Express that the embarrassing situation resulted due to the failure to deposit EPF amount deducted from the salaries of the employees at the EPF office on time.
After the EPF amount was not deposited for a long time, it was finally deposited at the EPF office after creating a corpus fund of the society.
However, after the due amount was cleared in 2004-05, the EPF office issued a notice imposing a penal interest of Rs 1.98 lakh and Rs 58 lakhs as penalty, disclosed the source.
Failure to deposit EPF amount in time is not only a criminal act but it is obligatory to pay EPF to the employees.
Even though it was clear that only the EPF tribunal can cancel or reduce the penalty amount imposed on Manipur Public School, the school authority or the Government did not make any appeal during the stipulated time.
Accountant of the school wrote to the School Principal in September last year to go for an appeal at the tribunal with due permission from the Chief Minister who is also the chairman of the school management society.
But the Principal allegedly refused to act and stayed away from seeking permission from the Chief Minister.
As responsibility for the prolonged administrative dysfunction could not be fixed, the State Government is unable to file appeal in any Court about the penalty imposed by the EPF office.
According to the EPF rules, the Chairman and the Secretary of the School management society are liable, but the Chairman being the Chief Minister, the Education Secretary may be held liable for the prolonged irregularity, conveyed the source.