The Ministry of Communications and IT has decided to reduce the proposed fines on telecom operators for violations such as not meeting rollout obligations, setting up towers in restricted areas, etc.
DoT, during the past few years, issued close to 200 show-cause notices to operators. A DoT committee examining the matter has now finalised the penalty amounts for each violation, and has decided against an earlier proposal to impose huge fines. For instance, against the proposal to impose a fine of Rs 100,000 per week for every tower that had been set up in restricted areas, it has now been decided to impose a token fine of Rs 500,000 per operator per service area.
