Sanctions may delay DoT loan

This is the route suggested by the DEA if the project is to implemented according to the original schedule planned for it. At Tuesday’s meeting, it was also suggested that the DoT could go ahead through an alternate route called the Project Proposal Financing (PPF) where the DEA would make an allocation in the Departments budget as a departmental project. However, senior officials of the DoT were in favour of the original route where they would go ahead with spending for the project from the DoT’s ownfunds and when the World Bank sanctions the loan after curbs are lifted, the amount spent by DoT could be adjusted. Officials say that in any case loans of this size are not a problem for a surplus department like DoT which has enough funds – "worse come to worse".

The Rs 315 crore fund will be utilised for the Wireless Planning and Coordination wing which is expected to cost $ 50 million (Rs 225 crore) and the TEC upgradation budgeted to cost $ 17 million (Rs 90 crore).

Most of the funds will be utilised for procuring latest equipment conforming standardised global technology. The equipment will be used for efficient spectrum management and frequency allocation. The World Bank is also likely to provide training for the upgradation.

While the Wireless Planning and Coordination project is likely to take three years to be completed, the Telecom Engineering Centre project may be completed a little earlier.

The loan is likely to carry an interest of 4 per cent to be repaid over a period of 20 years. TheDoT is likely to float global tenders for procuring the equipment.