The Times of India 14.09.2010
Ready report on mobile towers on buildings by Oct 15: VDA
VARANASI: The Varanasi Development Authority has finally set a deadline for its officials to provide the status report of the buildings where the towers of cellular mobile service providers are installed.
The VDA had launched a drive to know the number of buildings where such towers have been installed in 2009. However, when the TOI contacted the VDA vice-chairman, R P Goswami, on Monday, it was found that the agency has not succeeded in preparing the status report of the buildings where the towers are installed.
Earlier, the state government had issued an order to increase the tax on the installation of towers of the cellular mobile service providers last year, after which VDA had launched the exercise to know the actual number of buildings where the towers have been installed. The sources revealed that during the exercise about 400 notices were issued.
Goswami admitted that the companies had submitted their replies against the notices. However, the junior officials, who had been given the responsibility of this drive, could not maintain the record of the actual number of buildings where the towers have been installed in the limit of VDA. The officials said that the companies had taken shelter of court against the decision of huge increase in the amount of tax. Perhaps, due to the same reason the VDA officials also put the files of those buildings on the back burner.
Goswami said that despite all these facts, VDA could initiate action against those buildings, for which maps have not been approved by the VDA but its owners have installed the towers. The detection of those buildings where installation of towers could prove hazardous is also to be done during the same exercise. Goswami said that now he has assigned two engineers to prepare a status report after going through the replies of such companies. He said that these officials would have to submit their report by October 15. In case of delay, he said, the officials would be made accountable.
