Govt seeks Rs 1,842 cr from telecom firms in additional fees

The government had in 2009 ordered an audit of these firms' books after allegations of under-reporting

India has asked the country's top five telecommunication carriers to pay a combined Rs 1,842 crore in additional fees after a government audit found they had under-reported revenues over two financial years, Milind Deora, minister of state for communications said, although the companies have disputed the demand.

Bharti Airtel Ltd, Vodafone Group Plc's Indian unit, Reliance Communications Ltd , Idea Cellular Ltd and Tata Teleservices Ltd had under-stated their revenues by a combined $2 billion over two financial years to March 2008, the minister said.

Carriers in India are required to share a percentage of their revenue every year with the government as licence fees. The government had in 2009 ordered an audit of their books after allegations of under-reporting.

The government has asked Reliance Communications to pay Rs 623 crore including interest while Tata Tele is asked to pay Rs 505 crore, Deora told parliament.

Bharti has been asked to pay Rs 332 crore, Vodafone India Rs 247 crore and Idea Rs 134 crore, Deora said.

However, different courts have temporarily halted execution of the demand notices, Deora said in a written reply to a question from a lawmaker.