To form 1-man panel to probe licence, spectrum issue: Sibal-Thu, Dec 09, 2010 at 18:09

To form 1-man panel to probe licence, spectrum issue: Sibal

Published on Thu, Dec 09, 2010 at 18:09 |

Updated at Thu, Dec 09, 2010 at 18:57

(Setting up a retired judge for enquiry in scams, 2 months delayed CBI raids, no work in the Parliament, IS ANYTHING BEING DONE TO BRING BACK THE COMMON MAN'S HARD EARNED MONEY ?.....VIBHA)

Telecom Minister, Kapil Sibal said, the government would set up a one-man committee to examine issue of telecom licences and allocation of spectrum between 2001 and 2009.

The committe will be headed by retired Supreme Court judge S Patil will be given several terms of reference. The committee will also identify instances of lack of transparency and suggest remedies.

To form 1-man panel to probe licence, spectrum issue: Sibal

The panel, he said, will look into internal operating processes of the department of telecom (DoT) and the procedure of spectrum allocation. He added that he would like to see the inquiry completed in four weeks' time.

India's telecoms ministry said the government would send notices to five companies that were given 85 telecoms licences in 2008, asking why their licences should not be cancelled after the government auditor found the firms were not eligible for them.

The ministry will also send separate notices to 119 telecoms licensees that have not complied with services rollout obligations.

The case, which revolves around the sale of telecom licences at low prices, has led to the resignation of the telecoms minister, and, according to an official audit, has possibly lost the state USD 39 billion in revenue.

It has also frozen the parliament for nearly a month as opposition parties have demanded a full parliamentary investigation.

The scandal is one of many corruption scams that have hit India this year, including a bribes-for-loans scam in which eight officials from financial institutions have been arrested.

With inputs from Reuters