Actor Irrfan Khan March against Illegal Mobile Towers

Technology is not something we can dispense off with in this age. But things can be planned and executed in better ways. This was the message conveyed by actor Irrfan Khan when he joined a silent march against mobile phone towers in Mumbai.

"We all need mobile phones to work in this day and age. However, our mobile network towers need to be planned with better consideration to residential areas, parks, schools, hospitals etc. This is a dire need for today's increasing health conditions leading to complications due to the radiation,” actor said.

Collective opposition from residents and civic activists reaped in results with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) initiating action against more than 3,800 illegal mobile towers in the city. The civic body has added a clause of not allowing any mobile towers in gardens, open spaces, playgrounds, reserved plots or layouts in the new mobile tower policy which will be presented in Improvement Committee of the BMC this week.

BMC has also decided to regularize illegal towers if companies follow civic norms. This could generate additional revenues for the civic body. A draft policy has been proposed which will provide guidelines to mobile companies for installation of towers. This will require companies to have legal proof of building where the tower has to be installed, permissions from civil aviation authority and the NOC from MHADA.

The new policy also allows putting up of mobile towers on BMC properties, BEST properties and private properties with a certain fee.

Cell phones have become an extension of human self-today. But equally true is the fact that mobile phone towers emit radiations which can be carcinogenic. Mobile companies, policy makers, and people will have to work jointly to find a solution to this tricky situation.

Mobile Towers and Aesthetics

Interestingly, BSNL, a state-owned telecommunications company, is dealing with similar issue these days but from an aesthetics perspective. Telecom company is planning to install 50 ‘Zero Base’ mobile towers to improve the aesthetics and overall functionality of a tower.

A Zero Base tower is essentially a multi-function tower that not only radiates waves for mobile operators but also acts as street-light, charging docks for devices, security camera holder and Wi-Fi hotspots etc.The towers are designed both scientifically and aesthetically.

BSNL is awaiting quotes from companies like Nokia, Ericsson, and ZTE who had presented this idea at Mobile World Congress2016.