Telecom vendors ask Ravi Shankar Prasad to make BSNL pay Rs3,000 cr dues

NEW DELHI : Telecom vendors’ association TEMA has sought Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad’s intervention in getting Rs3,000 crore dues from BSNL, even despite the state-run firm has been reminded by suppliers and manufacturers several times.

In a letter to the Minister, the Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association (TEMA) said: “There is issue of release of funds from USOF to BSNL for the works already done by BSNL vendors. DoT has not infused any equity in BSNL since last many years, where as other operators have invested in tens of thousands of crores in network roll-out.

“In the present scenario where there are no funds with BSNL for O&M, the payments are being delayed by raising inter-departmental issues where vendors have no role to play and are waiting for the due payments as per tender terms and conditions.