The Hindu 19.01.2011
GHMC yet to act on structurally unsafe mobile towers
While the Central government has announced a crackdown on ‘unsafe’
mobile cell towers which have not submitted self certificates on
radiations emitted, GHMC is yet to act on structurally unsafe towers
itself.
Expert consultants engaged to verify structural
stability of the mobile cell towers in the twin cities had declared 40
as not safe and only four were removed despite standing government and
High Court instructions. This when only 218 of now revised number of
2,701 towers were inspected as per information given during the recent
council meeting.
The expert consultants including engineering colleges
like the Osmania University (OU), CBIT, MJ, Vasavi, JNTU Civil Aid, JNTU
and others were chosen as proof consultants to verify structural
stability of all the existing cell phone towers irrespective being land
or roof-top installations.
Cell phone companies had initially refused to pay ball
for paying one lakh rupees for each cell tower as one time permit fee
and just Rs. 12 lakh has been collected in the last couple of years.
Many firms had also filed writ petitions challenging the rate fixed.
Telecom companies’ argument was that many of their
towers had come before 2008 when government had notified that prior
permission was compulsory before erection. Twenty nine complaints were
received from the colony associations, neighbours and others but they
got a relief as the HC held that neighbour’s no objection certificate
was not to be insisted, pointed out senior officials.
In a renewed bid, the Mayor B. Kartika Reddy and Deputy
Mayor Jaffer Hussain held a meeting with the cell tower and telecom
firms recently where it was decided that an action plan be initiated
once the fresh survey is completed in all the 18 circles.
The Town Planning wing, which was given the task, has
completed the survey with photographs taken of each tower, said Chief
City Planner G.V. Raghu.
