Soon, cellphone towers may not be allowed atop houses……….Linah Baliga
After Delhi, city too mulls framing guidelines for mobile operators
After Delhi, city too mulls framing guidelines for mobile operators
Mumbai: Following in the footsteps of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to appoint experts to conduct a study on cellphone towers and gauge if they should be allowed to be installed in residential areas.
The civic body wants to know if there are any hazardous effects of radiation from mobile towers. Based on the findings of the study, the BMC will formulate a policy on mobile towers on the lines implemented by the MCD, and may bar them from being erected near hospitals and schools.
The issue was raised at a recent general body meeting of the BMC by Shiv Sena corporator Anuradha Pednekar after she received numerous complaints from residents in her ward. Manisha Mhaiskar, additional municipal commissioner, then called a meeting of deans of municipal hospitals on Monday.
After the issue was raised in the corporation, I had written to the director of health to constitute a core team to give suggestions. It was felt that the issue of mobile towers needs to be studied. A policy will be framed based on MCDs model. The study will stress on whether mobile towers have hazardous effects, and whether there is a need to specify the area and location for them, said Mhaiskar, adding that a proposal based on the Delhi model will be tabled before the standing committee soon.
The MCD has ruled that mobile are not allowed on school and hospital buildings. In case of residential buildings, permissions will have to be sought from all flat occupants of the building. It will ensure that there are no health hazards and the cell network is also not disrupted.
The MCD has decided to give preference to those places for setting up of mobile towers which are frequented for shortest time periods, like markets and shopping centres. It also has stricter norms for installing mobile towers and has made the owner of the property a co-applicant for permission. The service provider will also have to submit that the proposed tower is not harmful to the health of nearby residents. Towers more than five years old will have to be replaced within a month.
MCDs committee had also observed that cell phone towers are damaging the citys skyline.