Hospital gets notice for rooftop mobile tower

GHAZIABAD: The GDA issued a notice to a private hospital in Vaishali on Monday, directing it to procure a radiation-under-control certificate for mobile towers installed on its terrace, failing which it would risk its premises and the towers being sealed. A GDA team inspected the hospital on Monday after local residents complained of adverse health impact from prolonged exposure to electromagnetic radiations from the towers.
Aditi Hospital, in Sector 4 of Vaishali, has been set a deadline of eight days to get a clearance from a certifying agency that radiations emitted by the two towers installed on its terrace are within permissible limits.
Officials said GDA has its own policy for according permission to set up mobile towers, which are granted after testing the strength of a building, as well as clearance from the map department. It also does not allow setting up mobile towers in densely populated residential areas, and on schools and hospitals, unless they were installed before restrictions were enforced. “The certificate has to clearly mention if radiations emitted by the two towers are safe. We are simultaneously inspecting if the hospital had necessary permissions to install cell phone towers on its terrace. Other mobile towers in the city will also be checked if there are any specific complaints against them,” said S P Gupta, officer on special duty, GDA.
Last week, GDA had received complaints from residents of a house adjacent to the hospital that several of their family members faced health issues after getting exposed to the radiations.
“The building we live in has become unhealthy due to constant exposure to radiation. There are eight families in it and many face health-related problems. I have been diagnosed with a neurological condition myself, which is deteriorating despite medication,” said 45-year-old Dr Tanuja Chaturvedi, the complainant, who lives in the third floor of the building.
In Delhi, MCD rules do not allow any hospital or school to install cellphone towers. However, there is no specific health minstry guideline on this and it’s a city’s civic agency’s prerogative to frame these rules.