AIPEU,Gr.-C Bhubaneswar, Odisha

2G Scam:Former Telecom Secretary Blows Whistle on Raja

NEW DELHI: One of the top officers of the department of telecommunications (DoT) has blown the whistle on the telecom minister A Raja's attempts to grant the controversial licences to nine operators. Speaking exclusively to TIMES NOW, former DoT secretary D S Mathur said that he resisted Raja's attempts to grant the licences without first coming out with an "equitable and transparent policy".

DS Mathur, who retired from his office on December 31, 2007 said, "When the minister (Raja) did not listen to my counsel, I told the joint secretary concerned that I would not sign any files on licensing matters, therefore no files should be put up before me."
He added that the applications were ready for scrutiny in the first week of November 2007 and had he agreed to toe Raja's line, these licences would have been granted later that month.

"When he became the minister in May 2007, he called me and expressed his desire to award around 500 new licences. My response was that the same was not possible as there was not much of spectrum and if such large number of licences were given, it would raise a big question mark whether spectrum needs of the existing operators could be met or not and whether new licensees could be given spectrum? I even told him that in the event licences are given and government fails to give spectrum, companies could move to court," added Mathur.

However, A Raja continues to remain in denial and said that all the decision he took was under the observation and consent by the Prime Minister.
The controversial decision of Raja to advance the cut-off date for processing the applications for licences, from October 1, 2007 to September 25 was also not okayed by Mathur.

Source: The Times of India, dated 13.11.2010