DoT seeks Rs 7,608 crore from GAIL in dues for FY18

New Delhi: The DoT has sought Rs 7,608 crore in dues from GAIL India for 2017-18 as the department appeared to be not pressing for immediate payment of Rs 1.83 lakh crore in past dues it had previously assessed from the state-owned gas utility.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) sent a notice to GAIL soon after the February 14 hearing in the Supreme Court on dues owned by telecom companies such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, sources privy to the development said.

The dues now being sought from GAIL include a penalty for late payment, they said. The Supreme Court's original ruling in October last year led the DoT to demand Rs 1.47 lakh crore in unpaid dues on licence fees and spectrum usage charges from telecom companies such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea.

Its demand related to a 14-year-old dispute regarding the definition of adjusted gross revenue (AGR), which the Supreme Court agreed should include all kinds of income generated by the telcos.