Question : Guidelines for Setting up of Mobile Towers

(a) the guidelines issued by the Government to set up cell phone towers in cities and villages;
(b) whether such towers can be set up in densely populated habitations and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government is following the best practices and adhering to best parameters of giving permission to set up cell phone towers and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
(d) whether the Government has conducted any study to ascertain the harmful effects of the radiation emanating from such towers as well as its adverse effect on human health and if so, the details thereof;
(e) whether people are not allowing setting up of mobile towers in their areas due to fear of radiation; and
(f) if so, the details thereof and the number of such cases reported in Rajasthan at present?

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS,
EDUCATION AND ELECTRONICS &INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE)

(a) & (b)Sir, Department of Telecommunications, has issued advisory guidelines to state governments on 01.08.2013 for issue of clearance for installation of mobile towers. These guidelines to State Governments are applicable to all areas including residential areas and do not place any restriction on installation of mobile towers in densely populated areas. A copy of these guidelines is placed as Annexure-A.
(c) Yes, DoT has been following relevant International agencies/ organisations such as World Health Organization (WHO), International Commission on Non Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), International Advisory Committee (IAC) on EMF, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and various Study Groups under ITU for monitoring global developments in this regard.
(d) An Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC), setup in 2010 to examine the effect of Electro Magnetic Field (EMF) Radiation from Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) and mobile phones, after examining various national and international studies on the environmental and health related concerns due to EMF, had, inter-alia, 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.
Also, a committee, constituted by Hon’ble High Court Allahabad including Members from IITs of Kharagpur, Kanpur, Delhi, Roorkee, Bombay and from other scientific institutions of the country including Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) Delhi, in their report submitted in 2014, has, inter-alia, noted – “ ... On the basis of scientific evidences, studies and reports available, it has been found that there is no conclusive evidence about the stated dangers of EMF radiation from mobile BTS tower...” The Committee has noted that “there are no conclusive evidence to establish any causal link between the effect of EMF radiation from BTS with biological effects described in cell models, animals or humans, and any possible resulting health effects.”
Further, a joint initiative has been launched by Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) under Department of Science & Technology (DST) and Department of Telecommunications (DoT), wherein nineteen research proposals, have already been initiated to study possible impact of EMF exposure from mobile towers and handsets on life i.e. Humans, Living Organisms, Flora & Fauna and Environment.
(e) Yes, there have been some instances where people are not allowing setting up of mobile towers in their areas due to fear of radiation.
(f) There have been 86 such cases reported & 13 court cases filed in Rajasthan during last three years.