Telecom dept seeks ₹48,000 crore dues from Oil India

New Delhi: The telecom department has slapped a ₹48,000 crore demand notice on Oil India in past statutory dues, an order which the country’s second-biggest state oil producer plans to challenge in Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).

Following a Supreme Court ruling that non-telecom revenues should be included for considering payments of government dues, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has asked Oil India to pay ₹48,000 crore in principal dues together with interest and penalty for using optic fibre network for internal communication. The dues sought are double the net worth of Oil India.

“We have received a demand notice for paying payments by January 23. We plan to challenge it in TDSAT,” said Oil India Chairman and Managing Director Sushil Chandra Mishra.