Vodafone Idea pays Rs 1,000 cr to Telecom dept

New Delhi: Vodafone Idea on Thursday paid Rs 1,000 crore more to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) towards its statutory dues, a senior official said.

The company had paid Rs 2,500 crore to the government towards adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues on Monday. In all, it owes Rs 53,000 crore to the Telecom department.

The DoT source said notices will also be sent to Tata Teleservices for recovery of full dues in a day or two. The company had paid Rs 2,197 crore to the government on Monday, while DoT's calculations peg the outstanding amount at over Rs 14,000 crore.

Meanwhile, the telecom department will verify telcos' claims of lesser AGR dues by initiating random 'test checks' before March 17, sources said.

The 'test check' will happen for all telcom firms but will start with those claiming they have already made full and final settlement towards their statutory liabilities.

The exercise will help the department assess the gap between telcos' claim of what their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues are and its own estimates.With agency inputs