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Radiation test for mobile cos
In a move that could cause concern, the telecom department has given
the mobile operators six more months to self-certify that radiation
from their towers meet the prescribed limits.
There has been a concern in civil society as to whether the radiation
emitted by the mobile towers are safe for people residing nearby.
Last year the government had asked all the mobile operators to conduct
testing and self-certification of their mobile towers. They were asked
to submit a declaration to the Telecom Enforcement Resource and
Monitoring (TERM), a cell of the telecom department, that radiation from
their towers are within the internationally accepted permissible limit
by May 15.
According to reports not even five per cent of the mobile towers in the
country were tested. It is estimated that there are 2.5 lakh mobile
towers in the country. The telecom operators have now been asked to give
self-certification to the TERM by November 15.
However, consumer NGOs don’t think that self-certification is a good
idea. “In India self-certification doesn’t work. We want that
certification must be carried out by a third party. In India there are a
number of testing facilities and they should be used,” said Consumer
Care Society, secretary, Mr Ravindra Nath Guru.
He also raised the issue that in order to get better coverage the mobile
companies may be increasing the radiation power of their towers beyond
the allowed limits.
“If there is a complain by consumers that they are not getting network
coverage, telecom companies could even increase the power of their
radiation which could be harmful for the people,” he added.
The telecom department had also asked the mobile companies to start a
new mobile tower only after its self-certificate has been submitted to
TERM.
Additionally, mobile towers against which there are public complaints
will be tested by TERM. If a site fails to meet the criteria, a penalty
of Rs 5 lakh will be levied per tower per service provider. The service
provider will be given a month to meet the radiation norms.
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