Parliamentary Secretary for Cabinet Division Dr Firdaus Ashiq Awan has said that any plan of relocating the cellular companies' towers from residential areas was not under the consideration of government.
Speaking in response to questions of the treasury and opposition legislators in the National Assembly on Thursday, she said that there was no study that towers in the residential areas cause any health problems for the inmates of the surrounding areas.
Meanwhile the treasury MNAs called for taking pragmatic steps to relocate the towers from residential areas. During Question Hour, they also demanded of the government to announce cut off date for the relocation of mobile companies' towers, which are spreading electromagnetic waves that may develop tumours in human being.
Responding to the question put forth by MQM's Haider Abbas Rizvi, Dr Firdaus Ashiq Awan told the NA that there is no plan under government's consideration to remove such towers but the matters should be discussed with stakeholders. While supporting Rizvi's idea, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr Sher Afgan Niazi asserted that government should not protect the interests of multinational companies (MNCs) who are extracting money from the mobile consumers but paying no heed to the health of innocent people.
Rizvi MNA said that Information Technology Minister Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari had made categorical statements in the House thrice about the relocation of high-powered cellular towers from the residential areas but parliamentary secretary cabinet said the issue was not in her knowledge.
"The tower should be at least 500 sq meter away from the population because those who live in the locality nearest to towers were more prone to cancer or some other serious physical or mental ailment", said MQM lawmaker. Responding to query from the opposition, Firdaus Ashiq Awan informed the NA that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had served show cause notices to Ufone and Warid cellular telecom companies over showing poor performance, faulty service and connectivity problem.
She added, "Paktel communications has also been warned to improve its operation/performance in Gujrat city but no fine has been imposed on the mobile operator in this regard."
Mahmood Khan Achakzai grilled the government saying that multinational mobile companies are indulged in extracting over Rs 700 billion annually from Pakistani consumers but paying less tax for which legislation should be put. The government also came under fire over airing advertisements of the mobile and pharmaceutical companies that are promoting vulgarity among the general public. The opposition has demanded of the ministry of information to impose ban on airing such advertisements on private TV channel.
Minister of State for Information, Tariq Azeem told the House that instructions had already been issued to Pemra to look into the matter. NA was also told that 31 PBC radio stations are functioning in the country. Tariq Azeem further informed the House that Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority (Pemra) has so far banned 65 illegal FM radio stations operating in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) despite the fact that the area does not come directly under the administrative control of the authority. These radio stations were identified by civil secretariat Fata.
Labour Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan informed the House that government sent 227,437 workers to Middle East for jobs from all the four provinces, tribal areas, Northern Areas and AJK during last two years or so.