NGO demands removal of 'hazardous' cellphone towers from Guwahati

12 October, 2012

A city-based NGO, Citizens' First, has appealed to the district administration to remove all hazardous towers of mobile phones from different localities in Guwahati city and surrounding areas to ensure safe living condition for the citizens.

SUBMITTING THE memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup (Metro), Commissioner, Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and Member Secretary, Pollution Control Board, Assam, the organization has brought it to the notice that different companies like Reliance, BSNL, Vodafone, Airtel, Aircel and Tata Indicom etc, have installed their towers in different areas of Guwahati city.

All these towers are installed within the jurisdiction of Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC). High power diesel generator sets are installed to provide power to the towers in the event of electricity failure. These diesel generators create unbearable noise and vibration as a result of which the residents living near such towers are getting disturbed throughout the day and night. In such situation residents can not sleep, neither they can take rest at their residences. Children, elderly persons, students and particularly ailing persons are facing serious disturbances.

It is an established fact that noise has its ill effect on our body functions. Unbearable noise not only disturbs sleep of the citizens but it can damage our auditory and cardiovascular systems and can also cause mental and other disturbances. Such situation can disturb mental and physical status of the residents.

On the other hand while the diesel generator sets run to provide power to activate the mobile towers, it emits harmful smoke in the air and pollutes the area. Such pollution can further damage the health of the neighboring residents living near the sites of the mobile towers, according to the memorandum.

Signatories to the memorandum, the Citizens’ First’s working president Ajoy Dutta, (former MLA), President Jagannath Chakravorty, (Retd.IAS) and general secretary, Jagannath Das, have further said that other serious issue is that after installation of such towers near the residential houses, educational institutions, hospitals etc; different areas of the city and its surroundings become hazardous to health of the residents. It has been noticed that such mobile towers emit electromagnetic frequency radiation. Studies reveal that exposure to such radiation could have an adverse impact on human health. Under such situation residents living near these towers are exposed to radiation, which may further cause their serious health problems.

Reminding that this area lies in seismic zone-v, therefore in the event of high intensity earthquake gigantic towers installed on different buildings can cause serious damage to the life and property of the citizens.

Considering these important aspects, such towers should not have been allowed to be installed in any residential area. It is felt that the whole atmosphere of different residential areas is now exposed to serious risk for the life of the citizens and all other living creatures. It is nothing but blatant violation of fundamental rights of the peace loving residents of Guwahati city and its surrounding areas. It is believed that the state has an obligation to ensure proper and healthy living environment for the citizens in the interest of their better health and life.

The organization has requested the concerned agencies to take immediate necessary action to remove all hazardous mobile towers and noise creating generator sets from different residential areas of the city and its surroundings in the better interest of the citizens and take appropriate action against those who are involved with such environment deteriorating activities.