Expat pilots stranded in Mumbai chase lost PF, accuse EPFO of harassment

A group of cashstrapped former expat pilots of the nowgrounded Jet Airways have been camping in Mumbai making repeated visits to the Employeesrsquo Provident Fund Organisation EPFO office in Kandivli for the past weekDespite their persistent efforts EPFO officials including the current Regional Provident Fund Commissioner RPFC have failed to provide any clear response regarding their stuck provident fund PF dues These claims are linked to an alleged multicrore scam involving senior executives of the airlinemidday was the first publication to expose this alleged scam in 2022 Following the exposeacute the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI took details from the reporter before initiating a probe However there has been no progress as many EPFO officials involved in the case have either been transferred or reassignedThe expat pilots in MumbaiNearly 450 former expat pilots of Jet Airways are facing financial hardship due to the alleged scam Most of themmdashhailing from Canada Malaysia Panama various European nations Central America France Venezuela and Portugalmdashremain jobless struggling to survive after the aviation industry took a severe hit during the COVID19 pandemic Some have even passed away while waiting for their PF duesStruggling to stay afloatSince Jet Airways suspended operations in 2019 many expat pilots have been left without jobs facing mounting debts Some told midday they are managing to survive on their partnersrsquo salaries while others are burdened with heavy loansOne pilot shared ldquoOur credit cards are maxed out I asked my wife to pay for my air ticket and hotel stay in Mumbai thinking my PF would be cleared in a couple of days But EPFO officials are not giving us any clear answers I am running out of moneymdashif my wife stops supporting me I will have no choice but to beg on Mumbairsquos streets But I wonrsquot let these corrupt EPFO officials off the hookrdquoAnother pilot added ldquoWe used to stay in fivestar hotels when we were earning but now we are forced to live in slums because we simply cannot afford anything elserdquoDesperate attemptsThe pilots accused EPFO officials at Kandivli of ignoring their emails which forced them to visit in personldquoWe arrived in India on March 18 on tourist visas hoping our visits would help clear our PF dues But instead EPFO officials have been harassing us refusing to give a straight answer Our government offices in Europe donrsquot function like this At least we get a clear reply in our countriesrdquo said an expat pilot who travelled from EuropeInitially security guards at the EPFO office in Kandivli blocked their entry ldquoI insisted on meeting the commissioner and only then were we allowed to meet Sachin Borade the secondincommand RPFCII But he gave us vague responses When I asked to meet Commissioner Kartikey Singh we were told he was lsquobusy in a meetingrsquordquo said another pilotldquoWhen I confronted Sachin about why our deducted PF contributions were never credited to our accounts he was visibly blank and dodged the question I also pointed out that none of my emails had ever been responded to He just smiledrdquo the pilot saidNo transparency no helpThe expat pilots say they are unfamiliar with the procedures for retrieving their PF money and expected EPFO officials to guide them Instead they claim officials have stonewalled themOne pilot recalled ldquoAfter much effort I managed to meet Commissioner Kartikey Singh on March 18 When I asked him lsquoWhat have you done to help usrsquo he simply smiled without offering any responserdquoSingh later told the pilot that he had recently taken charge and could not comment on what his predecessor Sudhir Ganvir had done about their case Ganvir has since been transferred to New DelhiFrustrated the pilots are now planning to escalate the matter to the EPFO headquarters and even the Union Labour Minister in Delhi ldquoWhen I told Singh that I would take this complaint to Delhi he asked me to email him saying he would forward it But we have already written multiple emails and made numerous calls to EPFO Kandivlimdashnone of which were answeredrdquo said a European pilotldquoWe are cashstrapped yet we are forced to spend on food lodging and travel just to chase our own money This is nothing short of harassment We will not spare themmdashwe will drag them to court if necessaryrdquo he addedEPFOrsquos responseWhen midday contacted RPFCI Kartikey Singh he claimed ldquoI have already met them last week and we are taking action Their cases are being processed I do not understand in what capacity you are talking to merdquoWhen asked why EPFO officials had not responded to emails forcing the pilots to travel to India Singh replied ldquoSince itrsquos a PF matter I cannot disclose much But I have given one of them my personal emailrdquoHe further stated ldquoThe reason some PF accounts havenrsquot been settled has been explained to them A few cases cannot be processed due to legal constraints but the eligible ones can applyrdquo450Approx no of pilots facing financial problems