Health care
1 0 0 • A u g u s t 2 0 1 0 • e l e c t r o n i c s f o r yo u w w w . e f y m A g . c o m
in the world), and hence there is a need
to review and remedy the situation
and not wait until it becomes the subject matter of a public-interest petition
in the light of possible environmental
adverse effects.
In the aftermath of the court verdict
relating to Bhopal tragedy and the key
clause in the pending nuclear liability
bill, there is a growing concern about
harmful affects of radiation from the
O
f late, a lot of concern has been
voiced in electronic as well as
print media about uninhibited installation of cellphone towers in
thickly populated areas of many cities
in India. There is a perception relating
to existence of a high level of electromagnetic radiation in the vicinity of
these towers, which may cause adverse
biological effects. In the absence of
suitable policy directives for cell tower
installations, monitoring, effective
control and execution at all levels by
governmental bodies, such mushrooming of cellphone transmitting towers
could create a sense of panic amongst
general public.
As the cellphone base in India is
expanding at nearly 17 per cent per
annum (it may cross 500 million subscribers by the end of this year), the
requirement for cellphone towers will
also grow proportionately. It is therefore high time that a strict regulatory
regime is established as early as possible to avoid possible fallout.
There is a need for not only controlling the haphazard installation of the
towers but also undertaking systematic
study for measurements of the radiation levels in some selected high-population-density urban areas to ensure
that the power density levels are well
below the prescribed threshold limits.
The results need to be made available
for public education and scrutiny. The
present threshold limits prescribed by
the government are considered to be
rather too generous (one of the highest
 Gp Capt (Retd) K.C. Bhasin towers. While Cellular Operators
Association of India (COAI) maintains that the alleged health hazard
from EM radiation from cellphone
towers and mobile phones is a misconception, devoid of any underlying basis in reality, however, many
others do not share their views and
cite the same and other documents
to stress their viewpoint. For readers to form their own independent and informed opinion, a