Sunday, September 9, 2012

Safeguarding Public Health from BTS towers.

Are We living in fools Paradise !!

DoT has announced Acceptance of Recommendation made by the Inter-Ministrial Committee ( IMC )  were accepted by Government and directions in this regard were issued  to the Mobile operators  vide DoT letter no. 800-15/2010-VAS  (pt.) dated 10.04.2012 making the new norms applicable  from 01.09.2012, so that the Telecom Service Providers may adjust  their networks to comply with the new norms. How ever IMC recommended  for lowering the mobile towers' EMF exposure limits to 1/10th. of the existing  prescribed limit as a matter of abundance precaution & recommended the  following limits:
    Type of Exposure                 Frequency Range            Power density
                                                                                     Watts/sq.mtr.
      General Public                    400-2000 MHz                  f/2000
                                                    2 - 3000 GHz                     1
                                                                              f:  frequency in MHz
The new norms  for towers, which came into  on September 1.  have made the radiation limit more stringent  by reducing  it from 9.2 w/sq.m  to 0.92 w/sqm. a 10 fold  decrease .
There are around 4.5 lakhs  telecom towers in India. The DG of Cellular Operators Association India ( COAI ) opined  that due to lowering  the radiation limit, decrease in power supply to the towers which will bring down radiation levels. While this  solves the compliance problem, it means the coverage area  of each tower  goes down .
To achieve  the new norms   why Telecom companies  will manually  decrease the power supplied  to the towers ? Who will monitor ? Self Audit report by cell Operators will be another corruption ? Why TERM  Cell / DOT not  entrusted for   measuring & monitoring  through out the  country. Let us go back  to Land Line Phone   by developing its Technology for  better services. Let us "Quit Cell Phone " as we are not fit  to use this technology by our ill motive & earn money by corrupt means . In all State Govts. many guide lines are issued in the form of Office Orders by Principal  Secretaries of Deptt. of Environment. Out of 4.5 lakhs of Cell Towers in India more than 50% are illegally installed. The local bodies  such as municipal corporation, Gram Panchayats are not having exact no. of cell towers in their areas. These local bodies are loosing huge revenue due to a  racket of corruption exits inside these offices , the staffs of local bodies & Police stations just keeping quite even any body lodge complaints.
By new norms reducing power by 1/10th the  DOT has opened  another front to have more cell towers which will mushroomed over the Roof tops in residential areas.  Why  DoT  not asking the Cell operators  to install  highly mounted towers away from  residential areas like USA  & European countries where Towers are  not shamelessly displaying on roof tops except on sky scraper buildings ? Becoz. it is costlier on land  than erecting on roof tops. Our Govt. has no  bold  directive towards the cell operators due to fear of loosing  huge revenue & cut money , where  in Western world there is no so much chaos among public in Western countries for cell tower's effects of health hazards  from its  radiation & there is no much violation of Govt. Guide lines  , where in India the guide lines are framed to remain in papers , none to check  at random ,but  cell operators  work up to obtaining permission from SACFA  but a very few take legal permission from local bodies.
I have no confidence in this new norms of  lowering  the mobile towers' EMF exposure 1/10th of  the existing  prescribed limit. A hide & seek game will  start between TERM Cell  & Cell Operators !! 100% checking by TERM Cell to be evolved . A neutral independent body to be formed including representative from Residents Welfare Committee  to ensure Sanctity  of the IMC report.
What methodology has been done to know the EMF exposure is reduced in new norms , as I live very close within 30 feet distance to 2 nos. of Illegal Cell Towers , as TERM cell measured the radiation levels 3  months back , if I feel the change then I can  write in my blog that some thing different in my bed rooms.
Hope to write more in next blog ! Other wise we will believe that we are living in FOOLS PARADISE.
Kisalay Mitra , mitrakisalay@gmail.com.
09830317364/ Kolkata/ India