Thane civic body blacklists contractor for provident fund non-payment

The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) in Maharashtra has taken action against a contractor by blacklisting them. This decision stems from the contractor's alleged failure to deposit the Provident Fund (PF) contributions of conservancy workers employed by them and numerous other violations. The civic body made this announcement on Wednesday.

As per a release by the TMC, the corporation has barred Kalpesh Enterprises of Navi Mumbai from participating in any of its tendering processes. TMC said it had awarded a contract to Kalpesh Enterprises for conservancy work but the latter did not deposit the Provident Fund (PF) contribution of the workers engaged by it despite receiving payment from the civic body.

Additionally, the contractor is accused of not disbursing payments to the workers and neglecting to supply them with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). In May 2022, the PF department issued "prohibitory orders" against Kalpesh Enterprises, resulting in the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) deducting Rs 32.69 lakh from the contractor's outstanding dues and directly remitting it to the PF office in Vashi. This decisive action was taken following the strong concerns raised by civic chief Abhijit Bangar regarding the alleged violations, as indicated in the release.