DoT asks PGCIL for Rs 136.13 billion as licence fee for four years

According to Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL), the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) has raised a demand of Rs 136.13 billion as licence fee for financial years (FYs) 2006-07 to 2009-10.

PGCIL in its regulatory filing said that the DoT vide its revised assessment order dated May 22, 2020 in respect of National Long Distance (NLD) licence for the FYs 2006-07 to 2009-10 has asked it to pay Rs 136.13 billion on account of licence fee for the FYs 2006-07 to 2009-10, interest, penalty and interest on penalty.

The Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling in October 2019 led the DoT raise a demand of over Rs 3 trillion from non-telecom public sector undertakings (PSU) such as GAIL, Oil India and PGCIL for telecom licences these firms had primarily acquired for internal communication purposes.

PGCIL holds NLD and internet service provider (ISP) licences.