The Hindu Business Line : BSNL asks MTNL to pay up Rs 1,840-cr dues

BHARAT Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has asked Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) to pay up dues amounting to Rs 1,840 crore as interconnection charges since 2000-01. BSNL said that MTNL has not paid Interconnect Usage Charges (IUC) since the former was corporatised in 2000, except for a token amount of Rs 200 crore paid last year.

In a letter written to MTNL, the national operator said, "The claims on account of IUC consequent on introduction of the IUC regime from May, 2003 amount to Rs 1,213.48 crore for 2003-04 and Rs 539.57 crore for 2004-05."

BSNL officials said that all operators, including MTNL, are supposed to pay IUC to BSNL. "We cannot act tough and disconnect MTNL because it is also a state-owned company and we share infrastructure for offering seamless telecom services," said a BSNL official. The two companies are also on the verge of being merged into a single entity. Recently, BSNL had threatened to pull the plug off Reliance Infocomm for non-payment of the Access Deficit Charge (ADC).

BSNL officials said that prior to 2000, MTNL paid the charges directly to the Department of Telecom. If the company defaulted, then the Government would adjust the same from the annual revenue share.

This is not first time that the two companies have locked horns over interconnection charges. Recently, BSNL had said that MTNL was not collecting the ADC from private operators.

Last year, the two companies were brought to the negotiating table by the Department of Telecom to resolve the issue of paying the IUC.

BSNL arrived at a figure of Rs 1,840 crore after taking into account Rs 200 crore paid by MTNL, repayment of bonds and interest payment by 2002-03.

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