Telecom corruption by Raja

[Waterloo]

The CBI on Thursday searched offices of the Department of Telecom in connection with alleged irregularities in allocation of 2G spectrum to some of the new players.

CBI sources said a team of its sleuths were conducting searches at the Sanchar Bhawan in New Delhi after registering a case in this connection last evening.

But Union Telecom Minister A Raja, under scanner for the alleged irregularities, denied any rules were violated and said he won't resign.

"All decisions on allocation of 2G spectrum has been taken as per TRAI recommendations and as per approval of the Prime Minister. There is no question of resignation," he said.

But the CBI sources said that all records pertaining to the allocation of spectrum to new players in January 2008 will be taken to see if there were irregularities in the process.

None of the DoT official was available for comments.

In 2008, eight new players were given licences along with bundled 4.4 MHz spectrum to start mobile services.

The telecom ministry had come under attack for doling out spectrum very cheap compared to its actual market value.

CVC had recommended a CBI probe into the procedures followed for selecting companies for giving 2G spectrum.

Eyebrows were raised when two of the new players - Unitech Wireless Services and Swan Telecom -- sold part of their stake at huge premium within days of getting the licences.

The government had given telecom licence along with start up spectrum at Rs 1,651 crore for pan-Indian services.

http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/telecom_was_2g_spectrum_sold_too_cheap.php

[hamid]

Let us see what is the outcome of this search...
But I dont see anything really happening on this..

If there are anybody who expect Raja will resign I feel sorry for them..

we dont need this search to understand what has happened.. The response Raja gave when this was questioned itself is enough evidence there are irregularities, money has exchanged hands and the country has lost huge money..

[Waterloo]

And there are so called honest politicians like Manmohansingh pretending to be honest. What a shame !

[P_R]

CBI independent-nu kaamikkiraangaLaamaam.
_________________
To pretend not to do something I have to do it. So in reality I only pretend to pretend - Jacques Derrida

[Waterloo]

[Waterloo]

Contrary to the belief that only new entrants benefited from the spectrum for just Rs 1,658 crore ($340 million), existing majors, including Vodafone, Idea and Bharti, reaped the advantage for the same fee, a concern that has evoked a major political controversy.

The Cellular Operators Association of India, GSM operators' lobby which had earlier taken up the cudgels against the DoT for doling out 4.4 MHz start-up spectrum along with all-India licence at a throw away price, is conspicuously silent now possibly keeping in mind the benefits to its major members from the same policy.

Senior DoT officials said it is not just new players even old ones have received spectrum in many circles on first- -come-first-serve (FCFS) basis, which is now being opposed by certain sections which have alleged that it is not transparent and has caused loss to the exchequer.

The Department has released a list of existing companies, which have been given licences and spectrum on the same FCFS basis as well as the 2001 pricing during 2004 -2007 period. DoT is likely to present this list on December 10 in its response to a PIL when the spectrum allocation petition comes up for hearing again in the Delhi High Court.

Telecom Minister A Raja recently said there is an "undeclared cartel" behind the current criticism against the FCFS basis of spectrum allocation, indicating that the existing players do not want competition to come. They said FCFS could stand the legal scrutiny as it is part of the Cabinet-approved NTP-99 and till now the 2G spectrum allocation procedure has been based on it.

Vodafone was awarded a GSM licence in Madhya Pradesh as late as on March 20, 2007 and the start-up spectrum was allocated on the basis of an all-India licence fee of Rs 1,658 crore-- the same figure at which new operators like Datacom, Swan, Unitech and others have been given licence. Last week Raja defended the spectrum allocation to new operators under the existing 2G policy and had offered to resign in case his ministry had violated the law in doing so.

Left parties and BJP are now demanding a probe, alleging that the policy has caused loss to the tune of Rs 60,000 crore to the exchequer in spectrum allocation, while the minister maintains that telecom regulator TRAI's recommendations are followed in letter and spirit.

Under attack since the two new telecom players' -- Swan and Unitech's -- selling stake to foreign companies at a huge premium, Raja had said that it was not an outright sale and the transaction brought FDI into the country. He had said the controversy had emerged because he had managed to break the "undeclared cartel" prior to his taking over as the telecom minister last year and has allowed new players to enhance the competition in the market. Raja had said the government has no intention of changing any of the current policies under the new telecom policy of 1999 because this is not required and it can disturb the level-playing field.

"In the 2G bands, allocation through auction may not be possible as the service providers were allocated spectrum at different times of their licence and the amount of spectrum varies," Raja said.

In November 2007, the then Finance Secretary D Subbarao had written to DoT asking if proper procedure has been followed with regard to financial diligence. "It is not clear how the rate of Rs 16,00 crore determined as far as back in 2001 has been applied for a licence given in 2007 without any indexation," Subbarao had written to then DoT Secretary Dinesh Mathur.

[hamid]

[app_engine]

[app_engine]

http://thatstamil.oneindia.in/news/2009/10/23/india-cbi-zeroes-in-on-dot-offices.html

[app_engine]

Raja : Why should I resign? I did as per PMO's and TRAI's directive

http://www.koodal.com/news/india.asp?id=45032&title=raja-rules-out-resignation-india-news-headlines-in-tamil

[app_engine]

Singham's nazhuval badhilkaL :
http://dailythanthi.com/article.asp?NewsID=522754&disdate=10/26/2009

[app_engine]

CBI's FIR finds 22000 cr swindled in the spectrum oozhal !

http://www.dinamalar.com/topnewsdetail.asp?news_id=1543

[app_engine]

This is the typical politician we have in the country today :
http://www.dinamalar.com/fpnnewsdetail.asp?news_id=5438

i.e. not having the interests of people or country but hiding behind procedures this and that to conveniently swindle the tax payers' money

In other words, he is blaming officials below him, PM above him, ministry council - i.e. peers but not himself, who is the captain of the deal, is never in the wrong it seems

More reason for him not to be in that particular position!

[Waterloo]

Manmohansingh is defending from outside India ! First of all, he should remember that CBI functions under him and he cannot disown his own dept's functioning . What a PM we have !

[Waterloo]

hello. Lets also appreciate that Raja will not be the sole owner of that money swindling. The end beneficiaries will be a big list .

Now raja can claim that just because he is a backward class guy, he is being targeted.