Cos given 2G licences deserved rejection: CAG

The CAG was also unvarnished in its portrayal of the  DoT process to verify applications for compliance to Unified Access Services (UAS) guidelines as lacking “due diligence, fairness and  transparency.”

This lead to granting of license to applicants who didn’t satisfy some of the “basic” eligibility conditions, the CAG noted, saying that their applications should have been rejected outright. Amongst the 120 companies who received licenses, 85 didn’t have any track record or experience in telecom sector.

These include Unitech Infrastructure Private Limited, Unitech Builders and Estates Private Limited, Azare Properties Limited, Hudson Properties Private Limited, Nahan Properties Private Limited, Adonis Projects Private Limited, Aska Projects Limited, Volga Properties Limited-all belonging to the leading real estate developer Unitech Group.

Shipping Stop Dotcome Private Limited, Allianz Infratech Private Limited (now merged with woth Etisalat DB Telecom Private Limited), Daacom Solutions Private Limited (presently Videcon Telecommunications Limited), Swan Telecom Private Limited (presently Etisalat DB Telecom Private Limited), are amongst other companies getting licenses without fulfiling the basic norms.

These firms received licenses despite  not having the stipulated paid-up capital while applying for spectrum.

Forty-five of the 85 licenses went to companies   that failed to satisfy the main object clause in their Memorandum of Understanding. These companies concealed facts, provided incomplete information and submitted false and fictitious documents with the intention of having access to spectrum, the CAG report revealed.