NEW DELHI, INDIA: India is blocking the purchase of telecoms equipment from Chinese vendors on national security grounds, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

"Proposals for procurement of equipment from Chinese original equipment manufacturing vendors have not been recommended due to security concerns," the paper said, quoting a letter from the Department of Telecommunications to the Prime Minister's Office.

"Therefore, the proposals from the service providers for purchase of Chinese equipment is turned down," the paper quoted the letter as saying.

Contacted by Reuters, Department of Telecommunications spokesman Satyendra Prakash said he was not aware of any ban on Chinese equipment vendors.

"It is not specific to any network or any equipment company. There has to be a security clearance from the DoT as per the rules," he said, referring to existing rules that telecom companies have to apply for security clearance from the government before placing any equipment purchase order.

Senior security officials also said they were not aware of any ban on Chinese equipment.

"I'm not aware of any such blanket ban. In fact, Chinese equipment is coming in," G.K. Pillai, India's Home (Interior) Secretary, told Reuters.

"We want stringent security in place so the country's security is not compromised. But we have not heard of any blanket ban on Chinese equipment," said U.K. Bansal, India's Internal Security Chief.

India started overhauling its security system after Islamist militants killed 166 people in a 3-day carnage in the financial hub of Mumbai in November 2008.

The militants used a satellite phone while travelling to Mumbai by sea and kept in touch with their handlers in Pakistan on mobile and Internet phones.

The government had in the past restricted the use of Chinese-made telecom equipment in sensitive border areas.

Chinese telecom gear makers Huawei and ZTE Corp are active in India's telecoms market.