Shares of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) fell to a 5 percent lower circuit after the Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) was officially classified as a non-performing asset (NPA) by the State Bank of India (SBI)

India's largest public sector lender stated that MTNL now owed a total of Rs 325.53 crore as of September 30. This declaration follows a similar downgrade by Punjab National Bank (PNB) on September 9 and other public sector banks.

In a letter addressing MTNL, SBI wrote, “You have been enjoying credit facilities like a Term Loan from the bank, with the Term Loan Account Number 367266589**. The installment and interest payments for this account became overdue as of June 30, 2024, due to non-payment. As 90 days have passed, the account is categorized as an NPA (sub-standard) effective September 28, 2024.”

As of September 30, 2024, the total outstanding debt of MTNL to SBI stands at Rs 325.52 crore, with Rs 281.62 crore classified as ‘overdue’. SBI has called for immediate payment of this overdue sum to regularise the account and cautioned that failure to comply would lead to the imposition of a penal interest rate on the outstanding balance.

Additionally, SBI is seeking details on MTNL’s land monetization plan, which had previously been submitted with detailed year-wise cash flows.

The bank asked for the current status of this plan, especially concerning the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with NBCC to develop a 13.88-acre land parcel on Pankha Road, New Delhi, for residential and commercial purposes.

SBI specifically inquired whether the proceeds from this project would be used to repay outstanding loans.

SBI has cautioned that if MTNL fails to meet its payment obligations within the timeframe, the bank will have no choice but to initiate legal proceedings to recover the full loan amount along with interest, and may proceed with ‘enforcement of securities’ without further reference to MTNL.

Following SBI’s classification of MTNL as an NPA, other banks such as Union Bank of India and Bank of India have already categorised the company’s debt in the same manner.

MTNL's financial troubles continue to worsen, with total debt reaching Rs 31,944.51 crore as of August 30, 2024. Earlier in the month, the company notified stock exchanges of defaults on bank loans totaling Rs 422.05 crore.

This includes outstanding payments of Rs 155.76 crore to Union Bank of India, Rs 40.33 crore to Bank of India, Rs 40.01 crore to Punjab & Sind Bank, Rs 41.54 crore to Punjab National Bank, and Rs 4.04 crore to UCO Bank.

At 11:10 am, shares of MTNL were locked at a 5 percent lower circuit at Rs 52.09 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). The stock has risen around 57 percent so far this year, outperforming benchmark Nifty's returns of 15 percent. In the past 12 months, the counter has rallied more than 88 percent, compared to Nifty's gain of around 28 percent during this period.