JOAO SOUSA M | NT
Principal Correspondent
NAVELIM
The Goa State Pollution Control Board has said that it has no say over the location of mobile towers and it is the telecom companies which decide the particular matter. Moreover, the GSPCB is not equipped to monitor radiation from the towers especially in residential areas.
The information provided by the GSPCB under the Right to Information Act has revealed that the board does not monitor radiation emanating from the mobile towers, but on the contrary the radiation is monitored randomly by an independent agency.
Acting chairman of GSPCB and Chief Secretary R K Srivastava told ‘The Navhind Times’ that the board has no control over the location of a mobile tower and that it is the call of a telecom company which is taken factoring in network availability.
Besides, the board has no mechanism to keep a tab on radiation coming from the tower which is monitored by an independent agency, Srivastava said.
He said the agency carries out random checks for radiation based on the number of antennas installed. If the agency finds that radiation levels are high then telecom companies are informed and directed to set it right especially if the tower is in residential areas.
When asked the role of the GSPCB vis-à-vis the mobile towers, Srivastava said that board’s role is limited to ensuring that telecom companies follow proper procedures before installing the mobile towers.
Speaking to ‘The Navhind Times’, RTI activist Avinash Tavares asked as how can the people feel safe about radiation from the mobile towers when the GSPCB has no mechanism to monitor the radiation.
People are justified in objecting to the towers as reports of a private agency cannot be relied upon because they can be manipulated, he said.
The information given out by the board is very disturbing given the density of mobile towers and the push from the government for the same. If the pollution control board cannot monitor the radiation then on what basis does the board give a clean chit to the mobile towers, Tavares questioned.
In 2012, the state department of science, technology and environment issued guidelines formulated by the central government and directed telecom service providers or infrastructure providers to adhere to the norms of exposure limits of radio frequency field emissions from mobile based stations.
On March 28, 2012, the Union government had accorded ‘infrastructure’ status to mobile towers and strict limit for radiation from the same had been adopted.
The science and technology department had laid fresh guidelines for setting up of mobile towers away from residential areas and had directed the service providers to submit proper documents for obtaining clearance from the state government and local bodies with copies of relevant documents, which include licence/infrastructure provider’s registration certificate from the department of telecommunications, as there has been widespread objections due to apprehensions of radiation impact on health; people have obstructed setting up of mobile towers in several villages.
Sources said the measures which had been suggested by the department have been overlooked in a bid to fast-track installation of the 41 towers proposed in Salcete and 20 in Mormugao.
Operators of the mobile towers have to provide details of location, tower reference, height and weight. Also, they have to give details as whether it is ground or rooftop based or pole/wall mounted, and number of antennae, the sources said.
