No sealing of mobile towers for now: civic body

The agency has also set Rs 5 lakh as fee for regularisation of unauthorised towers as well as for setting up new towers.

The decision is a part of the agency’s revised policy on mobile towers that was approved by the MCD Standing Committee on Tuesday. The corporation maintained that it will ensure the mobile network in the Capital “does not get disrupted under any circumstances”.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the MCD also maintained that there was not enough scientific evidence to prove that mobile towers cause health hazards.

“MCD had sought advice from experts in this matter. A study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed that considering the very low exposure levels as well as research results,there is no convincing evidence that the weak signals from base stations and wireless networks cause adverse health effects,” BJP councillor Vijender Gupta said.

As per the revised guidelines,the owner of any building where a mobile tower is installed will be a co-applicant while seeking permission for the installation.

Besides,in case of group housing societies,a no objection certificate (NOC) will have to be obtained from all residents before installing mobile towers in the premises. The NOCs will further have to be renewed every five years.

The new guidelines also prohibit the installation of mobile towers in residential areas unless there “is no alternate possible”.

“Mobile operators will also have to get a certificate from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) stating that they don’t have such commercial or municipal buildings in the colonies where they want to set up these towers. Our junior engineer will carry out an inspection and only then will they be allowed to set it up in residential colonies,” Meera Aggarwal,one of the members of the committee formed in December last year to draft the new policy,said.

“Availability of network is a major concern and the MCD is not going to carry out sealing in a haphazard manner,” she added.

Under the revised policy,all municipal buildings,including community centres,will be given priority in site selection for new mobile towers.

Mobile operators will also be able to install towers at government buildings,commercial and institutional buildings as well as vacant land after obtaining the necessary clearance.

HC: Remove seals on Idea mobile towers in Noida
ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad High Court has directed the Noida Authority to remove the seals placed on the towers of cellular service provider Idea within two days and allow the telecom network to resume services. The order was passed on Tuesday by a Division Bench comprising Justices Prakash Krishna and Y C Gupta on a writ petition filed by Idea Cellular Ltd,which had moved the court alleging its towers in Noida had been sealed without any prior notice from authorities.

The court also ticked off the Noida Authority saying the “mobile towers were not installed or created by the cellular phone companies overnight. Without the connivance of Noida officials,the creation or installation of these towers appears to be not possible”. PTI