Vodafone, Tata, Airtel make part payment of AGR dues

New Delhi, February 17

Vodafone-Idea, Tata Group and Bharti Airtel all made party payment of their pending dues, two days after the Supreme Court pulled up the department of telecom for allowing companies to delay their payment.

Vodafone-Idea paid Rs 2,500 crore, Tata Group over Rs 2,190 crore, and Bharti Airtel paid Rs 10,000 crore, an official source in the telecom department said.

Airtel said it would make payment of the balance amount after self-assessment exercise.

“The total amount of Rs 10,000 crore has been paid on behalf of Bharti Airtel, Bharti Hexacom and Telenor.

“We are in the process of completing the self-assessment exercise expeditiously and will duly make the balance payment upon completion of the same, before the next date of hearing in the SC,” Bharti Airtel said.

The company said it would also submit supporting details at the time of making balance payment.

The telecom department on February 14 began issuing orders asking firms such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea to clear past dues immediately.

The development comes after the Department of Telecom gave companies a deadline for the payment after the Supreme Court’s criticism.  

 The DoT had started issuing circle- or zone-wise demand notices to the firms.

Airtel had previously responded to the DoT order by offering to pay Rs 10,000 crore by February 20 and the remaining before March 17. Airtel owes nearly Rs 35,586 crore, including licence fee and spectrum usage charge, to the government. PTI