'Telcos, Noida authority should work together on tower issue'

NEW DELHI: Minister of State for IT and Communications Sachin Pilot today said telecom operators and the authorities in Noida should mutually work out a solution to the row over towers installed atop houses.

Beginning this month, the authorities in Noida sealed nearly 200 telecom towers installed in residential areas, thus hampering the service in the area.

"We have requested both the parties (operators and Noida authorities) that whatever is the rule, under which the towers are being sealed, should keep in mind that the subscribers should not bear the brunt of it," Pilot said on the sidelines of the Press Trust of India's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations here.

They should find a solution quickly so that subscribers are not affected, he added.

"This does not come under the purview of our Ministry. The issue is between the Noida Authorities and the operators," he added.

Authorities in Noida sealed the towers while accusing the operators of not adhering to the guidelines and consulting Residential Welfare Associations.

With mobile services becoming an essential part of social and financial landscape, the Minister in an official statement said, "It is the duty of the operators to ensure regulatory compliance before erection of towers."

"At the same time, the state government should conduct due diligence of each tower before considering precipitate action," he added.

Earlier in the day, while speaking at another function in Noida, Pilot said, the consumer should not suffer as result of a fallout of the tussle between the operators and the authorities.