Victims get together to fight telecom tower menace

With over 800 telecom towers having sprung up in the city many of them inside or adjacent to residential complexes - over the last decade,it may be time to take stock whether they are causing any health hazards.

With over 800 telecom towers having sprung up in the city many of them inside or adjacent to residential complexes – over the last decade,it may be time to take stock whether they are causing any health hazards.

The lead has been taken by a group of citizens under the umbrella of Sajag Nagrik Manch who gathered in Pune recently. Among the complaints voiced by them were sleeplessness,noise and air pollution when generators are switched on to keep the towers functional when there is power failure. There were questions raised over the hidden dangers of radiations. The manch has decided to run a signature campaign on this issue next; it will also be pressing for strict adherence to the government rules.

The state government came out with a resolution in July 2007,stating,among other things,that the towers should not harm the immediate surroundings in any way. But since its radiation is invisible,people are not yet taking the dangers seriously. The radiation from these towers could cause cancer,brain tumour in the long run. I have personally come across such cases in Solapur. But since the landlords and builders want to make money from telecom companies,towers are being allowed to be erected just anywhere, said Milind Dembalkar,who came to Pune from Latur to kick start the awareness campaign.

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It is necessary to take an NoC from the neighbouring residents before erecting a tower. Unless there is an act in place that could penalise these telecom companies,the GR is of no use, he said. Even though nobody is yet aware of the dangers,there are certainly a number of health hazards caused by them. During the meeting,a number of people,who dwell right under or adjacent to the towers came up with a number of complaints, said Vivek Velankar,president of the manch.

Signatures of people,who have been facing problems because of the towers in their vicinity,would be collected and submitted to the civic body.

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