According to sources unable to pay salaries to its employees for a third consecutive month in January, state run MTNL has raised pending dues of Rs 500 crore from the Department of Telecom (DoT) for the period 2000-13. Meanwhile the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) seeks reimbursement of pension and GPF totaling Rs 488 crore paid to employees absorbed from DoT in MTNL and also for rendering telephone services to DoT employees.
Furthermore the DoT had leased the lands and buildings of MTNL during this period for which the public sector undertaking wants Rs 12 crore in rentals. DoT sources said an amount of Rs 200 crore from this is meant to settle the wage bill of MTNL employees for January. Reportedly a senior DoT official said the department was examining the MTNL invoices and would release some cash towards the salary payment after due scrutiny of MTNL documents in support of their claim of Rs 500 crore.
Previously MTNL was paying pension to its employees. But three years back, DoT started funding pensions of MTNL employees. Apparently MTNL reported widening of its loss to Rs 859 crore on standalone basis in the quarter ended on September 30, 2018, mainly on account of increase in finance cost and decline in sales.
