Airtel pays Rs 10,000 crore to DoT as part of AGR dues

Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has paid Rs 10,000 crore to Department of Telecommunications (DoT) as part of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues. 

Earlier on Friday, Bharti Airtel had offered the DoT to pay Rs 10,000 crore by February 20, but a DoT official said that the department can't grant any extension.

Vodafone Idea and Tata Teleservices were likely to make payment for AGR dues on Monday to avoid stringent punitive action from the Telecom Department, according to a PTI report. 

The three companies are jointly liable to pay dues of over Rs 1 lakh crore, but they have informed the Department of Telecom (DoT) of making only partial payment, as per their representatives.

"Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Tata Teleservices have said that they will make payments on Monday. DoT will take action after evaluating the amount paid by them," an official source told PTI.

As per the last available estimates, Airtel owes nearly Rs 35,586 crore, including licence fee and spectrum usage charges, to the government.

Vodafone Idea is staring at dues worth Rs 53,000 crore, which includes up to Rs 24,729 crore of spectrum dues and another Rs 28,309 crore in licence fee. Tata Teleservices owes around Rs 13,800 crore, BSNL Rs 4,989 crore and MTNL Rs 3,122 crore.

Out of Rs 1.47 lakh crore, around Rs 1.13 lakh crore is likely to be recovered, as other companies, which are liable to pay AGR dues, have folded up their businesses.

(With inputs from PTI)