BMC may pull down terrace cell towers………Pandurang Mhaske
Mumbai: Soon, you may face trouble finding mobile connectivity inside your home, but at the same time it might just prove beneficial for your health. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), after repeated demands from citizens, has plans to pull down all mobile phone towers from terraces of residential buildings in the city.
The civic body, which has received numerous complaints from residents to not allow mobile towers on terraces, has finally taken up the matter seriously after Kurla corporator Kamlakar Naik recently tabled a demand through notice of motion in the civic house.
Mumbai being the financial capital of the country, many people migrate to the city and thus the mobile phone usage is the highest. Various service providers vying to grab a major share in the big market erect towers on residential buildings to provide customers with the best network connectivity. Most residential housing societies agree as the companies even pay them for erecting the tower.
Naik has, however, now brought forth the health hazards caused by these mobile connectivity towers. “The radiation transmitted from these towers is harmful. The electromagnetic waves that the towers emit can affect the health of human beings and also lead to various diseases,” said Naik.
“The BMC has to take a firm decision on whether to allow such towers on terraces of residential buildings. All such towers that are erected without the permission of the civic body are in violation of the development control (DC) rule. To protect citizens from any health hazards, the BMC has to demolish all mobile towers,” Naik added.
While some people are concerned about the health problems that may arise, residents of Bell Heaven housing society in Andheri (East) face the threat of their building being unable to take the extra load. The residents have been in talks with the BMC for the last two months to remove the mobile towers from their terrace.
Rahul Naik, a resident from the society, has written a letter to the civic ward office to remove the mobile towers, but is still awaiting response. “The service provider is paying the society for the towers, but the building is 25 years old and it is not in position to bear the extra load of these towers on the terrace. We have written to the BMC and they must take action against the service provider,” Naik said.