The Supreme Court has asked operators to pay half the enhanced fee for mobile phone towers to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in fixed deposit receipts (FDRs). Protecting the interest of the operators, the apex court said the MCD would not encash the FDRs until the matter pending before the high court was resolved. In their plea, the operators said that the MCD had earlier permitted the installation of mobile towers on private properties by charging a one-time fee of Rs 100,000, valid for 20 years. However, through its order dated April 8, the MCD decided to charge a fee of Rs 100,000 per annum and reduced the contract’s validity to five years.
