Existing mobile tower antennae on schools,colleges and hospitals will have to be removed after the expiry of their approval period,according to the revised draft policy of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The draft,which will require approval of both Urban Development Department and the BMCs statutory standing committee,retains the ban on installation of such antennae on the top of and within 100 metres of educational institutions,hospitals,childrens correction homes,senior citizens homes and hostels or orphanage buildings for the children. Moreover,the draft signed by BMC chief Sitaram Kunte says that permission to install only one tower on one building/wing of the building will be given. The existing mobile antenna approved earlier on school/college and hospital buildings will not be renewed further after expiry of period of approval and the same shall be removed immediately. The provision of antennae/mobile towers shall be compatible with guidelines issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the draft reads. The advisory guidelines issued earlier this year by the DoT calls for mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC) from the top floor residents or occupants or tenants within three months of the announcement of the revised policy and every year in writing to install the mobile tower antennae on the terrace of the building. Prakash Munshi,a south Mumbai resident,who has been campaigning on the need for stricter norms for cellphone towers expressed satisfaction over the BMCs revised draft. But the BMC should define a tower in detail and the maximum number of antennae that a tower should have. Its the antennae and not the tower which are responsible for radiation and resultant health hazards, Munshi added. Akin to the DoT advisory,the BMC draft says that in case of both ground-based towers and roof top towers,there will be no building right in front of the antennae of equivalent height,taking into account the tilt of the lowest antenna on tower. Also,there should be no building in front of an antenna till a distance of 20 metres. Similarly,if there are six antennae in the same direction,there should be no building or structure in front up to 55 metres. For four antennae,the safe distance specified is 45 metres and 35 metres for two antennae. At the entry to the terrace where the tower is erected,a warning signboard should be displayed, it adds. The revised policy also retains previous rules which mandated 70 per cent written consent of individual members/tenants/occupants of the building/apartments/condominium/cooperative housing societies before installing of antennae or renewing of the contract This consent should be submitted to the BMC within three months of the announcement of the revised policy, it adds. While an earlier draft policy of the civic administration suggested regularisation of the illegal mobile towers in the city,the revised draft says that proposal for approval/regularisation of mobile tower shall be accepted only if all the required documents are submitted. The clause,in principle,allows for regularisation of the 1,620 illegal mobile towers out of the total 3,620 illegal towers. The remaining 1,800 are under litigation.
