According to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has caused a loss of about Rs 16.49 billion to the government, as it failed to charge nine cancelled licensees for offering telecom services beyond the stipulated time as directed by the apex court.
CAG has stated that the Supreme Court while cancelling 122 2G telecom licences in its order dated February 12, 2012, had also mandated DoT to auction spectrum freed up following the cancellation of said licences. As per the Supreme Court, a few of the operators were bound to win back spectrum put up for auction but those who could not win the spectrum had to be charged for the usage of spectrum till the date the spectrum auction were held and until the time such operators discontinued telecom services in circles where they did not win spectrum.
However, according to CAG, even after more than six months since the judgement was passed by the Supreme Court, DoT has failed to take any action against concerned operators thereby failing to charge operators for using spectrum for offering telecom services despite their licences being cancelled.
