Not one of the mobile towers which sprouted all over in the city has the permission of the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC).
Citing RTI documents, activist H.S. Hanif Saheb said though hundreds of mobile towers have been installed on residential buildings or multi-level commercial complexes here, they do not have the permission of the MCC.
As per the existing policy of the Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing of the Department of Telecom, even if the mobile tower has been approved by the department, they have to ensure that the bye-laws, rules and regulations of local bodies are followed. “Before installation of mobile towers, telecom service providers are required to obtain permission from local bodies (such as municipal corporations/gram panchayat etc),” read the guidelines.
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They are reportedly violating another guideline that towers should be erected in residential areas only after consultation with the residents’ welfare association. However, retired Superintendent of Police K.S. Ibrahim, who fought a prolonged battle against a tower being erected in his neighbour’s compound, says their views were not considered. In November 2011, the process to set up a microwave communication tower (for a private cell phone operating firm) in his neighbour’s compound near Padil started.
Fearing effects of radiation, and the constant whine of the generator, he and 20 other residents filed a complaint with the MCC. Over the course of the next few months, he took up the case with the Electrical Inspectorate Department, among others.
“There was no response, and the tower was erected. The situation got so bad that we had to shift out of the house,” he said.
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Officials of the Electrical Inspectorate said towers — being a Central government initiative — were out of the purview of the department. MCC Town Planning Officer Balakrishna Gowda said: “We can regulate the setting up of new towers, but we cannot take stringent action against towers that already exist,” he said.
When installing on a building, the applicant has to get a stability certificate from a structural engineer as well as should ensure it is not set up too close to another building or near hospitals and schools. “We have sent letters to all telecom operators saying they should apply permission from us and should follow the guidelines,” said Mr. Gowda.
After the circular was sent nearly two months, he said, the MCC has received about 20 applications from contractors to set up telecom towers. However, the process of perusing the documents was on and none had received permission yet, he said.