The Pioneer 29.10.2010
BMC halts crackdown on illegal mobile towersAnkur Sirothia | Bhopal
The drive against illegal mobile towers in the State capital has succumbed soon after it was launched. Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) the civic agency responsible for removing the illegal mobile towers in all 70 wards of the city has halted it without any substantial reasons.
Ironically, BMC officials confirm that instead of removing the illegal mobile towers, efforts have now been initiated to legalise the towers, which were earlier notified as illegal by the civic body.
Irrespective of the location of the towers — in residential areas or on high-rise buildings, the Corporation is willing to come out with an alternate solution for the problem, they added.
The BMC has already invited telecom companies, operating their services through these towers, to join the negotiations for regularising these ‘illegal’ towers.
It may be mentioned that, nearly 320 mobile towers in Bhopal belong to various companies including Airtel, Idea, Reliance and other companies
In a survey carried out by the BMC few months ago, 158 of the total towers were described as illegal. After a report carried by The Pioneer in its issue dated July 27, the Corporation initiated a full-fledged drive to remove illegal mobile towers.
However, the drive was suspended after removing barely 40 such illegal mobile towers. Meanwhile, the BMC has uncapped plans to come up with an agreeable solution to legalise the remaining 118 towers, at the place where they stand.
Sources said that around 50 of the total 158 mobile towers have already been granted a stay by the court and the BMC move was aimed at stopping others from seeking respite from the judiciary.
The BMC now proposes to overlook the norms flouted in setting up of these towers and legalise them, provided the telecom operators are ready to complete the remaining formalities.
As per the rules, mobile towers can only be installed at premises after their strength and load-bearing capacity has been certified. The Civil Engineering Department of MANIT has been linked for the purpose.
Further, No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the zonal committee and other legal documents are also required before the permission is issued by the BMC.
