City rallies against illegal phone towers

Times of India: Agra: Thursday, 28 May 2015.

Opposition to erection of mobile towers, which possibly emits hazardous radiation, is gathering steam, after an RTI reply earlier this year stated that about 500 mobile towers have been installed here without seeking clearances from the local administration.

RTI activist Atul Sirohi, the lead crusader in this fight, claimed that none of the mobile towers that have mushroomed in the city has obtained a no objection certificate (NOC) from civic agencies.

The revelation has caused uproar among residents. On Tuesday, about two dozen people, along with Sirohi, demonstrated outside the district collectorate, demanding that these illegal towers be removed from their city immediately. The demonstrators later submitted a memorandum to district magistrate Pankaj Kumar, who has vowed to take action in this matter.

The reply to the RTI underlines the ease with which these mobile towers have come up in the city. Sirohi said all phone towers have been installed by circumventing the local administration - Agra Development Authority (ADA), the city's pollution control board and Agra Municipal Corporation (AMC).

Sirohi further complained about administrative inaction. "Every time we approach civic officials, they assure us of taking appropriate action. But nothing concrete has happened yet," he said.

In fact, the ADA had red-flagged some phone towers that had cropped up near residential areas, hospitals and schools. But nothing came out of it later.

As per Environment (Protection) Act 1986, installation of mobile tower is prohibited in residential areas and public places. If a telecom provider does go ahead setting up one, it is mandatory for them to obtain a no objection certificate (NOC) from civic agencies.