Pune: PMC Employees Face ₹40-50 Crore Fine For Unlinked PAN-Aadhaar Cards
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Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has begun recovering fines from employees who failed to link their PAN and Aadhaar for TDS deductions. This action has caused considerable unrest among the staff, with the total recovery amount estimated at ₹40 to ₹50 crore.
The issue arose after the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission, which brought lower-grade employees into the income tax bracket for the first time. Many of these employees were unaware of their tax obligations and the requirement to link their PAN and Aadhaar. During a recent audit, the Income Tax Department identified thousands of such cases and directed the PMC to recover the unpaid amounts.
Fines range from a few thousand rupees to ₹1.5 lakh per employee, with amounts being collected in two installments. This has resulted in some employees missing out on their salaries for up to two months.
The PMC Employees’ Union, led by President Bajrang Pokharkar and Vice President Vishal Thombre, has demanded a halt to the recovery process. “The dues date back to 2014, and employees were never informed about their liabilities. If timely communication had occurred, they could have paid in manageable installments and even claimed refunds,” Pokharkar said.
Additional Commissioner Prithviraj B.P. has assured the union that the matter will be investigated and that salaries of uninvolved employees will not be withheld. Meanwhile, Chief Accounts Officer Ulka Kalaskar clarified that the fine collection is mandated by the Income Tax Department, not PMC’s internal administration.
