Shut down Margao WiFi towers or face prosecution, GSPCB warns

GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 23 September 2015 21:55 IST

The Goa State Pollution Control Board has directed Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd to shut down all the towers of 4G WiFi service in Margao, with a warning to prosecute otherwise.

A directive in this regard has been issued today, stating that Reliance has to move for the consent of the Board within 15 days.

The GSPCB has moved on the basis of a report received from Margao police station regarding a complaint filed by the United Goans Forum on 26 August regarding 10 locations to erect the towers.

Quite a few 4G WiFi towers were made operational on 16 June this year, on the birthday of Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai, providing free WiFi service.

However, when the UGF filed a complaint in this regard stating that towers have been made operational without legal consent, the electricity department had cut power connection to its generators a month ago.

The towers are thus not operational since then.

However, the work of erecting towers is continuing in Margao even after this action, at more than 10 places.

The GSPCB has thus taken serious note of the illegality of Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd and has issued directions to stop the work.

GSPCB chairman Jose Manuel Noronha told goanews.com that no service provider of mobile or WiFi service can begin any work without taking consent under Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

 

Department of Science and Technology has issued guidelines in this regard on 26 November 2013, in order to control the threat of radiation caused due to WiFi service.

“In case of both ground-based and roof-top Mobile Base Station Tower (MBST), there is shall be no building in front of the antenna(e), of equivalent height taking into account the tilt of the lowest  antenna on towers,” states the guidelines.

To define this height, the department has also provided a table:

No. of antenna(e) pointed in same direction

Buildings safe distance from antenna(e) at same height

1

20 metres

2

35 metres

4

45 metres

6

55 metres

 

 “Once they apply, our team of experts would inspect the sites based on these guidelines and give our consent. Till then, no site can be finalised by the service provider on its own”, said the GSPCB chairman.

The Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd however has already identified the sites and erected most of the towers while the work of erect other towers is presently going on at various places in Margao.

 The GSPCB has acted since Reliance did not even bother to reply to the show cause notice it had issued on 28 August, asking the company to reply within 15 days.


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Previous Comments

The GSPCB has acted since Reliance did not even bother to reply to the show cause notice it had issued on 28 August, asking the company to reply within 15 days.

- Mehul Dabhi, Ahmedabad | 24 th September 2015 18:17

 

https://www.facebook.com/Cellular-Towers-Health-Hazards-No-Installation-In-Residential-Colonies-307018632755512/timeline/

- Hare Krishna, Faridabad | 24 th September 2015 17:32

 

The contents of the below mentioned link may be pursed to decide that EM Radiations from mobile towers are harmful for all living creatures and these MUST not be installed inside residential buildingd public parks...

https://www.facebook.com/Cellular-Towers-Health-Hazards-No-Installation-In-Residential-Colonies-307018632755512/timeline/

- Hare Krishna, Faridabad | 24 th September 2015 17:31

 

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