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Bad signal: Mobile tower atop rickety building [DNA : Daily News & Analysis (India)](DNA : Daily News & Analysis (India) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Is the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation confused? How else would one explain the fact that AMC issued a stability certificate to a building that it had recently declared unsafe for residents? Residents living close to a rickety building at Devasa no Pado, Kalupur, rushed to the central zone office of the AMC. They had got the news of a mobile tower being installed on top of the building. They argued that it would be highly risky for such an installation to be put up there. "In August when the owner of the building has permitted a private mobile service provider to place a mobile tower, we were shocked. The building is risky and needs lot of repairing. When we complained to the authorities regarding this on August 6 this year, AMC placed a warning on the building declaring it rickety. Such is its condition that residents living close by have been asked to vacate their homes whenever it rains," said Nishit Shah, who lives in the neighbourhood of the building. An AMC official elaborated that a rickety building means the owner needs to repair the building. However, this does not mean that it has to be demolished. "Yes, I have come to know about the case and we are looking into the matter. If the residents have any specific complaint regarding the mobile tower, we shall probe further," said Ramyakumar Bhatt, assistant deputy municipal commissioner, central zone. Meanwhile, the residents are puzzled as to how AMC could find a rickety building stable enough to hold a mobile tower. Sunil Surti, one of the residents near to the building, said, "The owner of the building uses it as a godown. No one lives inside it, but what about us? If the building collapses due to the mobile tower, more than 100 people staying in its vicinity could be injured." So will AMC risk so many lives? Or will it stay the ongoing installation work of the mobile tower. "We will take the call. We have asked the concerned authority about the details of the matter," said M Thennarasan, deputy municipal commissioner of the central zone. Credit:dna correspondent (c) 2014 @ 2014 DILIGENT MEDIA CORPORATION LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |