Over 300 mobile towers in city illegal

Chandigarh, March 12
Shocking but true: more than 300 mobile towers in the city are illegal. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Brijendra Singh today submitted a report on mobile towers to UT Finance Secretary VK Singh.
It was stated in the report that of the 547 mobile towers in the city, more than 300 were operating illegally. It was also pointed out that a majority of those were operating from residential areas.
The UT Administration had asked for the report after receiving directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to notify its policy on mobile towers in residential areas in two months. The high court had made it clear that it wanted the mobile towers to be shifted out of residential areas in phases.
Sources revealed that after receiving the report, the Finance Secretary sought explanations from area inspectors of various departments, the estate office and the municipal corporation on why they did not issued any show-cause notice to mobile operators.
Meanwhile, in a meeting between UT officials and representatives of mobile companies, representatives of the companies opposed the draft policy prepared by the Administration in 2004, wherein the UT had decided not to allow mobile companies to instal towers in residential areas.
Requesting anonymity, the representative of a mobile company said there was no commercial area in Sectors 1 to 7 and Sectors 48 and 49, where they needed permission from the Administration to instal towers in residential areas.
Meanwhile, a senior UT official said they had proposed that four or five companies use one tower, but those were using separate towers. He added that they heard the objections of mobile company representatives and would draft the policy on mobile towers shortly.
What draft policy stated
The draft policy prepared in 2004 made it clear that no mobile tower would be allowed in residential areas. The policy stated that mobile towers would be allowed on commercial buildings which had completion certificates and sanctioned building plans. The policy further read that the commercial buildings should have sewerage connections and be inspected by the estate office staff. Mobile company owners had challenged other provisions and directions in the policy. The policy could not be notified since the court had stayed proceedings. The litigation had been sent to the Supreme Court and was subsequently reverted to the high court.
What high court observed
The high court order dated February 13 read, “The mobile emits signals in the form of radio waves, which can cause brain cell changes. If the DNA in the brain cells gets damaged, those may become cancerous and cause brain tumour. It is also feared that radio waves can cause chemical and electrical reactions in the brain, changing the way brain cells communicate. Studies have revealed that sparrows have declined in the most contaminated electromagnetic fields.”