No space for more mobile towers

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as public ire against mobile service providers for call drops keeps on escalating, hundreds of applications by various mobile service providers to install mobile phone towers are caught up in public protests. Pressure is also mounting on the government to relax procedures for allowing sanction of mobile phone towers.

According to sources, the mobile service providers are in a difficult situation as the centre had even threatened action against call drops. Insufficient number of towers in proportion to the increasing mobile call traffic is one major reason for the call drops.

At present there are over 25,000  mobile phone towers across the state.

“It will not be much of an exaggeration to say that nearly 1,000 applications for putting up mobile phone towers have been held up due to public protests across the state,” said a senior government official.  district telecom committees headed by district collectors were constituted to address issues about mobile towers. But these committees were not considering complaints seriously, said sources.

Officials also indicated that the government was considering options of relaxing the procedures for granting permission to set up mobile phone towers.

“Some states are taking off powers vested with local bodies to sanction setting up of mobile phone towers. We should also consider such options if we want better connectivity,” said the official. The government had recently allowed installation of mobile phone towers on top of government office buildings.

Even as health hazards posed by mobile phones and cell towers are yet to be established, people still associate a fear factor with mobile phones. The Delhi High court recently rejected a petition filed by residents of a locality against installing a mobile tower in the locality. The court maintained that the petitioners should first stop using mobile phones if they felt that mobile phone towers were harmful, sources pointed out.