DOT not pressing for fast payment of ~1.83 trn

The Department of Telecommunications has sought ~7,608 crore in dues from GAIL India for 2017-18 as the department appeared to be not pressing for immediate payment of ~1.83 trillion in past dues it had previously assessed from the state-owned gas utility.

For GAIL, the DOT assessed an outstanding of ~1,83,076 crore towards annual licence fee in respect of IP-II Licence. This included interests and penalty, sources said. The DOT sent a notice to GAIL soon after the February 14 hearing in the Supreme Court on dues owned by telecom companies such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, sources privy to the development said.

The dues now being sought from GAIL include a penalty for late payment, they said.

The SC’S original ruling in October last year led the DOT to demand ~1.47 trillion in unpaid dues on licence fees and spectrum usage charges from telecom companies such as Airtel and Vodafone Idea. Its demand related to a 14year-old dispute regarding the definition of adjusted gross revenue (AGR), which the SC agreed should include all kinds of income generated by the telcos. Alongside, the DOT also raised a demand of over ~3 trillion from non-telecom PSUS such as GAIL, Oil India and Powergrid for telecom licences these firms had primarily acquired for internal communication purposes. GAIL and other non-telcos felt the October 2019 ruling of the SC did not apply to them and filed petitions seeking clarification from the apex court.