Illegal Mobile Towers to Be Seized, Says Maharashtra Chief Minister

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in Mumbai on Tuesday that the state government will seize all illegal mobile towers as well as those which emit more radiation than the prescribed norms.

Charges for installation of mobile towers would also be increased by making changes in the existing policy, Fadnavis said while replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour in the Legislative Assembly.

NCP group leader Jayant Patil asked the government to conduct a study to find out whether electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation causes cancer or not.

BJP legislator Ashish Shelar demanded that an integrated policy be brought in for mobile towers and their ill-effects.

While responding to the discussion, Fadnavis said that the government is unable to take action against mobile towers as Bombay High Court in an interim order had prohibited them and the local authorities from taking any coercive action against cellphone towers atop schools, colleges and hospitals across Maharashtra.

"However, some telecom operators have violated norms laid down by the Telecom Enforcement Resource and Monitoring (TERM) cell of Department of Telecommunications (DoT) while installing mobile towers. The state government will remove all such illegal cellphone towers," he said.

The Chief Minister also said that mobile towers emitting more radiation than determined by the department of telecommunications (DoT) would also be seized.

He further said that the existing policy for mobile towers needs to be changed.

"Charges for installation of cellphone towers are also very low. The government will alter the policy so that municipal corporations will get more revenue from the procedure in future," he said.

Reacting to the demand for adopting independent system to measure radiation from cellphone towers, Fadnavis said that the suggestion was good and would be considered.