Are telecom signal towers harmful? No says expert panel

Bengaluru: Perhaps, this is the first committee in the recent past which disposed of a subject in just one sitting without dragging the issue for long.

In the previous Belagavi session, former minister and Bharatiya Janata Party MLA S Suresh Kumar had raised the issue of reckless installation of mobile towers all across Bengaluru city and its ill-effects on the general public.

He had also highlighted how public health was at risk due to radiation from mobile towers which have dotted rooftops of several commercial and residential buildings all over the city. The BJP MLA wanted the government to undertake a scientific study before giving blanket permission to erect mobile towers in densely populated areas.

Understanding the sensitivity of the issue, the state government had constituted a group comprising Urban Development Minister Vinaykumar Sorake, Municipal Administration Minister Quar-ul-Islam, doctors from NIMHANS and representatives from some telecom companies to deal with it.

In Bengaluru, permission was given by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and it were the urban local bodies in rest of the cities.

The committee held its maiden meeting in Bengaluru in which Mr Sorake, Mr Sureshkumar and Mr Quamrul Islam participated.

The telecom operators opined that the installation of mobile towers was the only option available at present to provide quality service to their customers.

Since the Union government had announced penalizing of private telecom players in case of drop calls, they would have to incur huge losses if sufficient number of mobile towers are not installed at important places to ensure connectivity.

The doctors from NIMHANS told the committee that so far, there are no reports regarding harmful effects on public health from the mobile towers.

According to their observation, the mobile towers do not emit too much radiation that affects people's health in any manner. So, people need not fear mobile towers in their nearby buildings.

Mr Sureshkumar told Deccan Chronicle that once the committee came to a conclusion in the first meeting itself, it was as good as the end of the panel.

It may be mentioned here that all major private telecom players have taken the rooftops of many commercial and residential buildings on rent to put up the mobile towers across the City.

Many have been installed atop school and college buildings too. A few environmentalists had opined that mobile towers have driven away birds such as sparrows and crows due to radiation.