Mobile telephony has become an integral part of our life as it helps us to stay connected always with our near and dear ones and with colleagues at the workplace.
But it comes at a cost because excessive use of mobile phones and giant mobile towers mushrooming on rooftops has been posing a serious health hazard which can lead to even cancer and brain tumour. It also posed a threat to flora and fauna, according to Volunteer Environment Organisation Chairman G. Veerabhadrachari.
No dampener
However, health issues proved to be no dampener if one went by the number of landline and mobile telephone connections with the BSNL. The number of BSNL landline connections has been stagnating at a mere 40,000, while the GSM connections have gone up to 2.72 lakh in Prakasam district.
“The need of the hour is constitution of a monitoring committee at the district level to ensure that the elaborate guidelines issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India are followed in letter and spirit,” pointed out Consumer Protection Council member M. Nageswara Rao while talking to The Hindu here. No cell tower should be set up without taking neighbours into confidence.
Sleep disruption, headache, concentration, forgetful memory, depression, dizziness occur due to changes in the electrical activity of the brain if the radiation levels were high, explained Dr. Ch. Chalamaiah.
As a public sector undertaking, the BSNL adhered to the TRAI guidelines in toto, and went for more towers with reduced power output, said General Manager of BSNL V. Munindranath.
BSNL could install only 18 2G and 19 3G Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) as against 80 2G and 49 3G targeted during the current Phase VII, putting its plans to improve the quality of its service in disarray.
‘Use landline’ Studies revealed that six to eight hours of talking over mobile each day would lead to, among other problems, deafness and impotency over a period, Mr. Nageswara Rao contended, suggesting that people opt for “don't disturb” option to shun unwanted commercial SMS on the mobile phones. It would be better to use landline connections whenever possible, he added.
