THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI MILIND DEORA)
(a) Madam, as per the existing policy for installation of towers, Wireless Planning
& Coordination (WPC) wing of Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issues siting clearance
for installation of mobile towers for each and every site from the point of view of
interference with other wireless users, aviation hazards and obstruction to any other
existing microwave links.
However, siting clearances of DoT are issued without prejudice to other applicable bylaws,
rule and regulations of local bodies such as municipal corporation, Gram Panchayat etc.
Accordingly, before installation of tower, the telecom service providers have to obtain
necessary clearances from concerned local authorities/ State Government bodies also. Various
local bodies/State Government have formulated their own policy regarding grant of such
permissions for installation of mobile towers.
(b)&(c) Government of India has adopted the basic restriction and limiting reference levels
of Electromagnetic radiation from Mobile towers prescribed by International Commission on Non-
Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). Vide letter No. 800-15/2010-VAS dated 8th April 2010,
Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed all the Cellular Mobile Telephone Service (CMTS) / Unified Access Service (UAS) licensees for compliance of the reference limits/ levels
prescribed by ICNIRP by way of self certification of their Base Transmitting Station (BTS)
for meeting the EMF radiations norms.
Based on media reports and growing concern about the radiation from mobile towers, DoT had
constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee consisting of officers from DoT, Indian Council
of Medical Research, Ministry of Health, Department of Biotechnology and Ministry of
Environment and Forest on 24.08.2010 to examine inter-alia the effect of EMF Radiation
from base stations.
Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) in its report has indicated that most of the laboratory
studies were unable to find a direct link between exposure to radio frequency radiation
and health; and the scientific studies as yet have not been able to confirm a cause-and-
effect relationship between radio frequency radiation and health. The effect of emission
from cell phone towers is not known yet with certainty. Further, the committee has suggested
certain safeguards including lowering the BTS Radio Frequency (RF) exposure limits to 1/1Oth
of the existing level. The committee has also recommended to formulate uniform guidelines at
national level to enforce restrictions on establishment / setting up of BTS towers. The
recommendations of the Committee have been accepted for implementation.
(d) Installation of tower without obtaining siting clearance from WPC has not come to the
notice of DoT so far. Compliance to the guidelines/instructions issued by local authorities/
State Government for installation of tower is ensured by the concerned local authorities/ State
Government. DoT is not keeping such records in this regard.
