DoT told to frame guidelines on mobile towers

Unhappy with the unrestricted way mobile towers are being erected, a Standing Committee of Parliament has urged the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) to frame guidelines regarding the positioning of towers and antennas. The Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests in its report on e-waste and e-radiation, observed that in the absence of restriction on numbers of towers in an area, they are having a concentrated effect in cities and smaller towns. 

The committee also asked DoT to take up studies on harmful effect of electro-magnetic radiation (EMR) generated from mobile towers, given the fact Indians with a lower BMI and lesser body fat are more prone to risk from e-radiation compared to the Europeans. Besides, the committee recommended early implementation of the Expert Committee report on the impact of mobile towers on birds, bees and insects so that electro-magnetic frequency (EMF) radiation on these can be minimised. 

On the issue of mobile tower installations, the committee felt there was a need to increase the number of inspectors who can regularly keep a tab on the effects of EMR from cell towers. It also recommended stringent penalties for violation of norms and guidelines and wanted punishment should go beyond mere fines. 

The DoT, on its part, said that there is a full-fledged division of the Telecom Enforcement Resource and Monitoring Cell (TERM) to enforce guidelines for restricting EMF radiation. Besides, the Base Transceiver Station (BTS) also self certifies that it is meeting the radiation norm. To this, the committee felt that apart from self-checking, there was need for random checking and the inspection reports need to be made public. 

The committee also wanted Government to put in place suitable infrastructure to address the large quantity of e-waste generated in the country. The quantum of e-waste generated in India is nearly 8 lakh tonnes while there are just 126 e-waste recyclers/dismantlers in the country. Observing that this number was highly inadequate the Committee suggested increasing the coverage of Extended Producer’s Responsibility (EPR) so that more producers can be involved in management of e-wastes and recycling. It was felt that implementation of e-waste rules in India is still at a nascent stage, hence, the DoT should bring rules that incentivises best practices and recycling.