Govt penalties on small issues hamper sector's growth: Bharti

New Delhi, Oct 3 (PTI) India's largest private mobile

operator Bharti Airtel today expressed concern over government

imposing penalties even on "small issues", saying this hampers

growth of the sector and spreads fear among investors.

"It is unfair to impose penalties and issuing show cause

notices by the Department of Telecom for every small issue.

This is hampering the growth of the sector," Bharti Airtel

chairman Sunil Mittal said at a meeting of telecom minister A

Raja with the operators here today.

He cited an example of notices issued by the government

to private telecom operators for having mobile telephony

signals along the country's borders.

"It spreads fear among investors," Mittal said.

He also asked the minister to rationalise the duties

being paid by telecom operators.

Raja held an hour-long meeting with operators and their

associations to review the telecom scenario and sought their

suggestions before finalising guidelines and any policy

relating to allocation of spectrum or issuing fresh licences.

Mittal also criticised telecom regulator TRAI over its

recent recommendations on spectrum, saying there were many

technical faults. TRAI has issued eight corrections last week

itself and asked the minister not to accept them without

analysing their impact on the sector, he added. PTI MST SKB

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