SC to hear Centre's plea on payment AGR dues by telecos

The petition said that the Centre is dealing with the telecom service providers and it has found that telcos who are required to make the payments are catering to crores of consumers throughout the country.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear a plea by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for staggered payment of adjusted gross revenues (AGR) dues by telecom companies.

Earlier this week, the government had approached the apex court seeking approval for a formula allowing telecom service providers to make annual installments of unpaid or remaining AGR dues in next 20 years or more.

The fresh plea stated that telecom service providers who were liable to make payments have started making payments and the part payment is made arising out of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues.

The petition said that the Centre is dealing with the telecom service providers and it has found that telcos who are required to make the payments are catering to crores of consumers throughout the country.

"The Centre is conscious of the fact that any immediate adverse impact on the functioning of telecom service providers would not only have an adverse impact on the overall economy of the nation but would also seriously harm the interest of the consumers across the country," added the petition.

ANI report.