Vodafone Idea pays Rs 1000 cr to DoT towards AGR : Sources

New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS): Vodafone Idea on Thursday paid Rs 1,000 crore to Department of Telecom towards its AGR dues, official sources said. Earlier this week, the telecom company had paid Rs 2500 crore and had said it would pay Rs 1000 crore more on weekends. But Friday is a holiday, so the company has made the payment on Thursday, however, Vodafone Idea did not comment on it.

The DoT seeks Rs 53,000 crore AGR payments from Vodafone Idea as it has been hit maximum by the AGR dues demand. On Wednesday, VIL chairman K.M. Birla and his Airtel counterpart Sunil Mittal individually met Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and learnt to have sought relief from the government.

While the Government has so far not taken any decision on bail out, Birla and Mittal have also met Telecom secretary Anshu Prakash to press for supporting the industry for sustainability. Vodafone Idea has gone public saying unless government gives relief, it may not remain as a going concern which means it may either shut shop or go for bankruptcy.

–IANS ana/sn/skp/