Centre's help sought to check cell phone tower EMR

With the mushrooming of mobile phone towers in New Delhi and no defined standards to check harmful electromagnetic radiation being emitted from them, Delhi government has sought the Centre's help in the matter.

"There are around 3,000 towers of cellular service providers and daily one or two tower is being installed. But there is no defined standards for safe radiation levels or say data about how much radiation is being emitted from them," a senior Delhi government official told PTI.

Also, in the absence of any legislation, the government is helpless to take any decision in the issue, he said giving instance of a case where recently some villagers refused to install a tower in the premises of their neighbours.

Though there is a draft guideline prepared by the Telecom Engineering Centre and under consideration of the department of telecom in this conection, the official said given the 'clout' that the cell phone manufacturers enjoy, it is not easy to tighten a noose around them.

"It is high time that we have a proper legislation in place to keep bring the cell phone towers under legal framework," he said.

He pointed out that phones and base station antennae used by telecom operators radiate energy that heats up tissues and may be harmful to human beings, especially children.

Concurs Jawaharlal Nehru University Prof J Behari, who is conducting a research in this field, "It is not only in India that such things are creating panic among people, many years back, WHO had warned countries to adopt serious measures towards this possible hazard."