Airtel pays another ₹8,000cr, says dues stand at ₹13,000cr

NEW DELHI: Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Saturday said that it has made additional payment of ₹8,004 crore towards adjusted gross revenue dues to the Department of Telecom (DOT). The payment of ₹8,004 crore is in addition to ₹10,000 crore the company paid on February 17, 2020 in compliance to the Supreme Court judgment, it said in a regulatory filing.

The company said it calculated the liabilities on self assessment basis till December 31, 2019 and the payment includes interest up to February 29, 2020.

The company has carried out self assessment from FY 2006-07 up to December 31, 2019 and interest thereon up to February 29, 2020 in line with the Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) judgement, Bharti Airtel said.

“Accordingly the company paid an additional amount of ₹3,004 crore towards the full and final amounts due over and above ad-hoc amount of ₹10,000 crore paid on February 17, 2020 on behalf of Bharti Group of companies,” the filing said.

The payment included liabilities on Bharti Airtel, Bharti Hexacom and Telenor India. “We have also deposited an additional amount of ₹5,000 crore, as an ad-hoc payment (subject to the subsequent refund/adjustment to cover differences, if any arising from the reconciliation exercise with the DOT,” Airtel said.

According to estimates by the Department of Telecommunications, Airtel owed nearly ₹35,586 crore, including licence fee, spectrum usage charges with interest on unpaid amount, penalty and interest on penalty till July 2019.

“Based on the aforesaid payment we have now complied with AGR judgement and the directions in the order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court dated October 24, 2019,” the company said.