2G: Unitech MD accuses Mathur of supporting old telecos

Unitech Limited MD Sanjay Chandra, facing trial in the 2G spectrum allocation case in a court here, today accused former Telecom Secretary D S Mathur of "supporting" and "favouring" old telecom operators and their cartel.

Mathur, however, denied the realtor's allegation saying he was never in favour of cartelization by the old players. Realtor Chandra had ventured into telecom sector during A Raja's tenure as telecom minister. "It is wrong to suggest that despite my protest against unjustifiable advantage in spectrum allocation to the old operators, I was supporting the old operators and was in favour of their cartelization.

"It is wrong to suggest that this fact is borne out from my various note sheets (prepared during his tenure as the telecom secretary)," Mathur told Special CBI Judge O P Saini. The CBI, in its first charge sheet, had alleged that Raja, during his tenure as the Minister of Environment and Forests, was familiar with Chandra and Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, all facing trial in the case, in respect of various clearances for their real estate projects.

Mathur, a key CBI witness in the case whose recording of statement was concluded today, said during his tenure as the telecom secretary, about 25 licences were issued but no auction was held for them. "During my tenure as secretary, Department of Telecom (DoT), no auction was held for issuance of about 25 licences, issued during my tenure. I did not raise any objection regarding the entry fee during my tenure when the aforesaid about 25 licences were issued," he said.