Both call drop and radiation must be addressed
The Ministry of Urban Development's decision to permit installation of mobile towers atop Government buildings, which can be used as a shared facility by mobile companies for flawless mobile connectivity, will tackle two pressing issues. One, it will reduce the problem of call drops. And second, it should allay apprehensions that radiation from too many mobile towers has been causing health hazards to humans as well as to avian creatures, which have almost disappeared from the nearby skies. No argument will be enough to justify the fact that call drop problems have been troubling millions of people in the country. On the other hand, mobile companies have been hiding behind technical jargon, crying foul over the lack of infrastructure as the prime reason for the sharp increase in call drops. In this 21st century, when the Indian economy has seen transformative periods, the use of mobile telephony, which has crossed the 100-crore mark, cannot be more emphasised. All thanks to mobile phones and data connectivity that India has ushered into the league of mobile revolution. In fact, the way Internet is being used for economic, social and governance purposes, its use will only grow by leaps and bounds in time to come. However, there is growing disparity between the number of mobile users and the availability of spectrum for usage. The network operators alone must be blamed for this gap. While there is ample spectrum available, telecom operators have failed to upgrade their infrastructure. Failure to optimally reinforce their networks, either due to the large debt burden or for their inability to adhere to Government norms, has resulted in many towers being taken down. This presented a crisis. However, the Government's decision to let private companies install their networks on Government land will ease up the problem of congestions.
Meanwhile, there have also been extensive campaigns over fear of radiation being emitted by these communication towers. Advocates have been many. While many, including pseudo-scientists, have claimed that mobile towers cause diseases, including cancer, others have argued that there has been no conclusive evidence of adverse health effects from them. Surprisingly, there's another lot which argues that more mobile towers are essential to reduce cell phone radiation. The World Health Organisation has concluded that there has been no conclusive evidence to confirm the existence of any health consequence, though it agreed that there have been gaps in knowledge about the biological effects and called for the need for further research to reach the truth. Whatever be the case, this is a contentious issue over which a consensus has not yet been achieved. In this condition, there has also been a recent case where the Supreme Court ordered the closure of a BSNl tower, while responding to a complaint filed by a cancer patient who claimed that the illegal installation of mobile tower on a neighbouring rooftop had exposed him to harmful radiation. It is well known that these towers are the backbone of mobile phones, without which human life today is impossible. The prime focus of the Government, therefore, must be to ensure safety of the citizens by tightening radiation standards and side by side ensuring sound coverage.