Are all the mobile towers in Mangalore illegal?
25 Apr, 2014Mangalore city has hundreds of mobile towers which have been installed on the residential buildings or commercial complexes. However, on the basis of reply to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act H.S. Hanif Saheb has claimed that none of the mobile towers has a valid permission from the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC).
· If a mobile tower has been approved by the Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing of the Department of Telecom, it has to be ensured that the bye-laws, rules and regulations of local bodies are followed.
· The telecom service providers are required to obtain permission from local bodies (such as municipal corporation / gram panchayat etc), before initiation of the installation of mobile towers.
· The telecom service providers are also required to consult with the residents’ welfare association before erecting towers in residential areas.
· A stability certificate has to be obtained from a structural engineer before installing a tower on a building.
· It has to be ensured that a tower is not set up too close to another building or near hospitals and schools.
The Officials of the Electrical Inspectorate have claimed that being a Central government initiative, the towers were out of the purview of the department. MCC Town Planning Officer Balakrishna Gowda has claimed that while they can regulate the setting up of new towers, little action can be taken against the towers that already are already in existence.
The MCC has received about 20 applications from contractors to set up telecom towers during the last two months but they are yet to be granted permission.