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The Central Bureau of Investigation, probing the 2G spectrum scam, has reminded the telecom regulator TRAI to ascertain the exact loss to the government owing to allocation of spectrum to all operators between 2001 and 2008 following varying estimates.
The estimates varied between Rs 35,000 crore and Rs 1.76 lakh crore.
CBI sources said today that a reminder was sent to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India as there was no word from the regulator ever since the investigating agency first made its request in January this year.
Based on the findings of the Central Vigilance Commission, the CBI had estimated in its FIR in 2009 that the government may have lost over Rs 22,000 crore due to irregularities in the allocation of spectrum in January 2008 by the former Telecom Minister, Mr A. Raja, who was arrested in February on charges of favouring some private firms.
Later, the investigating agency had estimated the loss to be at around Rs 35,000 crore. The loss was less than the figures arrived at by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) which had pegged the notional loss at Rs 1.76 lakh crore.
The agency’s decision to approach TRAI was taken in view of varying estimates of the losses to the exchequer on account of the sale of spectrum in 2008.
The CBI had requested TRAI to set up an expert team which will go into the entire gamut of spectrum pricing and give an estimated loss which can be proved in the court.
However, it has been six months since the agency has heard from the telecom regulator, prompting the CBI to send in a reminder ahead of the next date of hearing in Supreme Court on July 7.
The CBI was unable to assess the price of 2G spectrum allocated to telecom players between 2001 and 2008, when most of the old players like Bharti, Vodafone and Idea were allocated spectrum.
TRAI has forwarded the CBI request to its expert panel for which the report is yet to completed.
Taking a cue from the allocation policy, TRAI had earlier this year recommended a pan-India licence fee of Rs 10,972.45 crore for 6.2 Mhz of start-up spectrum with effect from April 1, 2010 as against the Rs 1,658 crore that was being paid by operators till now.
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