 "SC pulls up govt for casual attempt at 2G auctions")
The Supreme Court today pulled up the government for being ‘casual’ in handling 2G spectrum case before it and for not auctioning 32 percent of the spectrum vacated as a result of 122 licenses being cancelled in February.
Citing the DoT’s plea for more time, Justice Singhvi pulled up the government for not informing the court that only a portion of the airwaves are being put up for sale.
Refusing to accept the government’s affidavit filed by an under secretary-level officer in the 2G case, the apex court directed the centre to submit a fresh one within two days by the DoT( Department of Telecommunication) secretary, the court said.
Reacting to the Supreme Court’s order, telecom minister Kapil Sibal, in an interview with CNBC-TV18 said that Dot Secretary will certainly file an affidavit and explain the situation to the court at an ‘appropriate time’.
Given that the 2G spectrum auction last week was a damp squib, Sibal again blamed the ‘circumstances’ for failing to receive bids for 45 percent of the spectrum auctioned.
He reiterated that the high reserve price was the reason for the poor show at the auctions. “Government was handicapped over the pricing issue,” said Sibal, adding that the ministry is yet to take a call on whether it would approach Trai again over the reserve price recommendations.
He also rejected Opposition allegations that government was celebrating the failure of the auction and said notwithstanding the poor response, it will garner the estimated Rs 40,000 crore from spectrum sales.
An Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) headed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram will meet next week to decide on price and date for auction of spectrum in circles like Delhi and Mumbai, he said.
The government, which had set a reserve price of Rs 14,000 crore for pan-India spectrum on the basis of CAG’s assumption of Rs 1.76 lakh crore loss caused to the exchequer in the previous sale in 2008, managed a meagre Rs 9,407.64 crore in the auction that lasted barely two days.
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