After facing immense pressure from mobile phone companies and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Sindh Environment Protection Department is considering giving more time to cell-phone companies to shift their towers from residential areas, officials told PPI.
A few months back, Sindh Environment & Alternative Energy Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmed expressed his commitment to issue notices to mobile phone companies against installing cell-phone towers in residential areas. He had observed mobile phone companies had concealed hazards of radio waves emission from the towers while giving people paltry amount.
These companies also violate ICNRP, international body to check a hazard of wave emission from mobile phone towers, guidelines issued for protection of public health, he had said. It must be noted that not a single cell-phone tower has been shifted out of residential areas till date.
It was decided in a meeting of Environment Protection Department to take measures to control the trend of erecting mobile-phone towers in populated areas. The decision was taken keeping in view internationally proved scientific studies that emission of electromagnetic waves from these towers not only affecting health and attitude of area residents but also worsening air pollution. In some cases the waves from the towers caused cancer, brain tumour and other fatal diseases to its nearby residents.
Environmentalists have also called it mandatory to shift these towers, which are affecting human lives and their health in particular, from thickly populated areas.
The officials of mobile phone companies told in case of shifting these towers they had to face loss of millions of rupees. They said management of all cell-phone companies had pledged to shift these towers phase-wise while extending their network in the province. The Ministry of Information Technology has also approached Environment Protection Department to give relaxation to the companies.
IT Ministry officials feared in case of taking any rigid measures investment of billions of rupees being made by mobile phone companies could be disrupted; therefore, they want to resolve this matter by giving some time to shift the towers.
Sources in Environment department told it was most likely that ministry would give relaxation to mobile phone service providers after being ensured by them to shift the towers in phase-wise process. When asked how long it will take to shift these towers, they expressed their inability to tell any specific time period.