Concerned over the health hazards
likely to be caused by cell phone towers, the National Green Tribunal
has restrained several telecom firms from setting them up without
following mandatory provisions of law and taking permission from the
competent authority.
"Considering gravity of allegations levelled
and health hazard likely to be caused, we direct that no construction
of cell phone communication towers shall be made without following
mandatory provisions of law and necessary permission from competent
authority," a NGT bench of Acting Chairperson Justice A S Naidu and
expert member P C Mishra has said.
Issuing notice to the Ministry
of Communications and IT, Ministry of Environment and Forest, Ministry
of Health, Securities and Exchange Board of India and telecom firms —
Bharti Infratel Ltd, Airtel, Idea, Vodaphone, Tata, Reliance and Bharat
Sanchar Nigam Ltd, the NGT has sought their response by the next date of
hearing on December 20.
The tribunal’s order came on the plea of
Delhi resident Arvind Gupta, who has sought directions to the Centre
and the telecom firms for implementing guidelines and regulations issued
by MoEF regarding installation of cell phone towers nationwide.
In
his application, filed through advocate B P Tripathy, Gupta has alleged
that MoEF guidelines have not been followed and implemented by
Department of Telecommunications while allowing installation of towers
throughout the country.
He has also alleged that "norms are
flouted brazenly by all companies involved with installation of mobile
towers, having complete disregard and concern for environmental
protection".
He has alleged that radiations emitted by towers not
only adversely affect flora and fauna, but can also cause cancer in
human beings.