Mobile towers 'completely safe', insists COAI

NEW DELHI: The telecom industry has dispelled fears that radiation from towers causes health hazards and urged citizens not to panic because Indian emission norms are stricter than global standards.

The Cellular Operators Association of India issued a statement a day after a media report said the Supreme Court had ordered state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. last month to deactivate an illegally installed tower in Gwalior within seven days, acting on a complaint by a man who claimed to be afflicted with cancer due to radiation exposure from the tower.

The report relates to an interim – not final -- order in only one of four cases that have been brought up in the apex court, according to the statement by COAI, which represents telcos including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Idea Cellular and Reliance Jio Infocomm.


"The industry appeals to the citizens and the public to not panic and read the interim order in its entirety. There are four EMF (electromagnetic fields)-related cases which have been clubbed together. The interim SC order relates to only one of them, whereas cell towers included in the other cases were left untouched," said Rajan Mathews, director general of COAI.

Eight high courts have found that radiation emanating from mobile towers is not hazardous for human health, he added.

The interim order has rekindled the debate on whether radiation from mobile towers is a health hazard and could lead to a spate of similar cases in courts. Telcos have cited fears around radiation as among the major reasons for not being able to put up sufficient towers, which led to severe call drops, mainly in urban areas.

The government has said several times that radiation from towers was within safe limits and that the prescribed norms ensured that emission levels are one-tenth of those set globally.

"With regard to impact of electromagnetic field emissions from mobile towers on health, the World Health Organization has referred to approximately 25,000 articles published around the world over past 30 years, (and) concluded (that) ‘current evidence does not confirm the existence of any health consequences from exposure to low level electromagnetic fields,’" communications minister Manoj Sinha said in parliament on April 5.

The telecom department told the apex court in an affidavit last year that it had tested 3.3 lakh of the total 12 lakh towers. Only 212 were found to be
exceeding radiation limits and they were fined.

The top court is yet to give its final judgment on the matter, which will come up for hearing in mid-July, and has asked the COAI to submit various reports and documents on this issue.

Parties concerned about radiation said the government is not admitting the problem because it considers the sector a cash cow.

"It’s all deliberate. The government is interested in revenue and they don’t care if people die," Nivedita Sharma, the lawyer fighting the Gwalior tower case, told ET. "We will seek change of regulation as we feel that present rules lack teeth, the implementation and enforcement is poor."

The telecom industry said consumer health and interest were paramount to the sector, adding that the Supreme Court’s recent order was related to one particular tower and should not be taken as widespread.

Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association’s vice chairman Umang Das told ET that while the decision of the court was an interim one, the industry was concerned that although several government-backed outreach programmes to allay fears regarding radiation were being carried out, more needs to be done.

"Since last July, DoT’s term cells have held programmes in six key cities regarding misgivings on radiation from towers… and now it’s been initiated in tier-2 cities like Guwahati, Shillong, Jodhpur and Gurgaon, where the government is not only issuing statements but carrying out physical demonstrations," said Das.

COAI said the government regularly checks and monitors mobile towers for emissions and has strict and high penalties in case of exceptions and violations. "A final order will take a comprehensive view of the matter after taking into consideration all the supplied material evidence," it said.