EPFO Issues Arrest Warrant Against Longview Tea Estate Director Over ₹7.30 Crore PF Dues

EPFO Issues Arrest Warrant Against Longview Tea Estate Director Over ₹7.30 Crore PF Dues Siliguri, May 26: The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has issued a warrant of arrest against Saurav Garg, Director of M/s Longview Tea Estate, over non-payment of provident fund dues amounting to ₹7.30 crore. The warrant was issued by Assistant PF Commissioner Ankit Srivastava from the EPFO Regional Office, Siliguri, and forwarded to Kurseong Police Station. Police have been directed to arrest Garg and produce him before the Recovery Officer at Bhavishyanidhi Bhawan, Siliguri, within 24 hours, unless the outstanding dues are cleared immediately through a demand draft. According to officials, the pending dues relate to default periods between 2013 and 2022 under the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. The development comes days after Darjeeling MP Raju Bista visited Longview Tea Garden on May 19, where workers had been staging a relay hunger strike for more than 25 days over unpaid wages and pending statutory benefits. Workers alleged that nearly six months of wages, along with over ₹11 crore in provident fund, gratuity and other dues, remained unpaid. During the visit, Bista urged the district administration, labour department and police authorities to take immediate action and resolve the crisis. The arrest warrant is returnable by May 26, 2026. Despite repeated attempts, Longview Tea Estate management could not be reached for comment.

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