Mobile towers have been in existence in the west for over 50 years now, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has analysed over 35,000 papers over the years, before concluding that there is no correlation between emissions from mobile towers and public health.
India's telecom secretary J S Deepak, who was also the health communications specialist with the Johns Hopkins University earlier, knows a thing or two about creating awareness. "You can toil for years to spread a positive message about good health practices, but a negative nugget spreads like wild fire even if it is a rumour," says Deepak, likening the trend to the current public opinion about mobile towers.
"The new generation mobile towers emit less radiation than the mobile phone itself, and even lesser than sunlight. They are absolutely safe," the Delhi-based bureaucrat tells dna in an exclusive chat, ahead of a seminar on EMF Emissions and Telecom Towers, which was held in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Mobile towers have been in existence in the west for over 50 years now, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has analysed over 35,000 papers over the years, before concluding that there is no correlation between emissions from mobile towers and public health. "Activists against mobile towers may be well-meaning, but they should rely on real evidence instead of resorting to rhetoric," says Deepak, adding that the norms for mobile towers in India are extremely stringent and strictly implemented by government agencies.
Giving the example of a DDA directive banning mobile towers, Deepak says his department then educated the DDA officials about the reality, and the bye-laws were amended. "Today, government buildings, post offices, municipal offices, parliamentary precincts and even the Moti Baug residential colony, which houses senior government officials, including me, have mobile towers," he says, adding that unless there is an adequate number of towers, issues such as congestion, connectivity and call-drop crop up.
For instance, an average mobile tower in densely-populated Shanghai services 500 users, while an average tower in Delhi or Mumbai services 5,500 users. "Every time a train crowded with 3,000 commuters passes by, the network trips," says Deepak, who is overseeing a 100-day plan of telecom companies to install 60,000 towers across the country at a cost of Rs12,000 crore.
During his visit to Mumbai, Deepak has meetings lined up with top state government and BMC officials to urge them to give right of way to mobile towers and broadband lines on a priority basis to fulfill the city's digital aspirations.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "JS Deepak")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}