NEW DELHI: Weeks after the rollout of the new centralised IT enabled system (CITES) early July by Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), which promised to enhance member convenience through faster automated claims settlements, field officials across the country have been “left to their own devices” to deal with the mounting claim pendencies as the new system faces strain, claimed the EPF Officers Association (EPFOA) in a letter to labour minister Mansukh Mandaviya.Contrary to expectations that the majority of claims would be settled in 2-3 days, EPFOA claims that “lakhs of auto claims were kept pending in the system for more than 20 days, with no explanation to either the field offices or to the members.”However, EPFO has dismissed these and said this transition was implemented with minimal disruption of services, and the temporary increase in pendency was due to moving to a new enterprise-wide platform.