Malda, Nov. 3: More than 100 retired schoolteachers have not been getting their provident fund (PF) dues for the past six months owing to anomalies amounting to Rs 70 lakh that have surfaced in the accounts submitted by the district inspector (DI) of secondary schools to the treasury.

Even those who have applied for loans from the PF on urgent grounds have been denied. The Malda treasury has communicated to the DI office that PF funds would not be released until the anomalies were rectified. No one could say when things would return to normal.

Till recently, Malda treasury office II used to maintain the provident fund account of schoolteachers in the district. But a circular issued by the finance department put an end to that. It stated that the same treasury office that would disburse the teachers? salary would have to maintain the PF account. It is then that treasury office I took over.

The finance department circular was followed by an order from the accountant-general of the PF directorate, which ensured that each school submitted its PF and salary bills separately to the treasury office.

As a result, the treasury office asked the district inspector of schools to send a school-wise list of provident fund deductions and salary within July 31. The DI office had sent the list before the pujas.

This week, the treasury detected anomalies of Rs 70 lakh in the accounts submitted by the DI office. There are 332 secondary schools in Malda district. According to the treasury, only Rs 58 crore had been submitted as provident fund as against the treasury?s claim of Rs 58.7 crore. ?There cannot be a mistake from our side. The fault lies with the DI office. We have asked it to verify the accounts with the schools,? said a senior treasury official.

Treasury officer Govinda Basak said: ?How can I pass PF bills when such a huge discrepancy has been detected? Let the error be rectified and I shall hand over the cheques within three days.?

The district inspector of secondary schools, Deepak Dutta, is at a loss. ?We are verifying the accounts with the schools,? he said.

Resenting the development, district secretary of the All Bengal Teachers? Association Kajal Sarkar said: ?For a long time we have been demanding that the treasury maintain separate provident fund accounts for each school.?

CPM MLA of Manikchak Ashima Chowdhury, who retired from Sishu Siksha Niketan a year ago, said: ?I have been visiting the treasury almost every week but I am yet to get my provident fund.?