A sub-committee of the NA Standing Committee on Information Technology met on Thursday to review the ongoing issue of outstanding dues owed by Long Distance and International (LDI) companies to the PTA.
The panel decided to seek legal opinion from the Ministry of Law regarding the recovery issue.
During the meeting, the PTA chairman stated that the authority is not empowered to allow installment-based payments for the recovery of dues from LDI operators. "PTA does not have the authority to restructure or defer the payment of dues in installments," he said.
The PTA chairman added that several rounds of meetings have been held with defaulting LDI companies, but their stance on dues repayment continues to differ.
"After hearing their views, we have issued letters to the companies, and a clear decision has been communicated; outstanding dues must be paid in full, including late payment charges," he noted.
The LDI representatives stated that they had offered the PTA to pay the principal amount in installments and expressed readiness to issue post-dated cheques.
The PTA insisted that all dues, including late fees, must be deposited into an escrow account.
The LDI representatives maintained that there was a lack of clarity in government policy regarding the renewal of their licenses.
The IT secretary observed that the issue of dues with the LDI companies was not "straightforward", noting that each company had a different position. "Whatever decision the government takes will set a precedent for dues recovery in other sectors as well," he noted.
The PTA chairman revealed that not all LDI companies have agreed to pay the principal amount.
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