BSNL, DoT under CBI scanner for irregularities
NEW DELHI: The CBI is looking into the two complaints recently forwarded by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC ) pertaining to the Department of Telecom (DoT) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for alleged irregularities in awarding various contracts.
Based on the CVC’s enquiry reports, the agency will soon register preliminary enquiry (PE) against unknown officials and private persons to conduct investigation into the matter.
The DoT’s case pertains to contract signed during former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s NDA regime. It relates to issuance of the International Long Distance (ILD) licence to a company, Data Access, in 2002.
The company was granted the ILD licence on March 27, 2002, for establishing and maintaining working telegraphs within the scope of the licence. The company had received the licence after paying Rs 25 crore as entry fee and furnishing a bank guarantee for another Rs 25
crore.
The deal was later cancelled after the company failed to pay dues to the tune of over Rs 250 crore to DOT, BSNL and DoT. The BSNL, DoT and MTNL allegedly suffered a loss of Rs 219.62 crore, Rs 15.63 crore and Rs 8.60 crore respectively.
The BSNL’s case is about alleged irregularities in carrying advertisement works worth crores through several ineligible firms. The irregularities includes an unauthorised appointment of a part-time director in the BSNL and assigning advertisement related job to a non-empanelled and ineligible agency.
The CVC enquiry had prima facie revealed that certain BSNL officials were in conspiracy with advertisement companies and public relation agencies to earn commission on the issuance of advertisements.
The BSNL gives advertisement contracts worth several crores to various companies.