Mounting protest against Cell phone towers: TERM Cell conducts awareness seminar, claims allegations baseless

KOZHIKODE: In view of the mounting protest against the installation of new base transceiver stations (BTS) or cell phone towers at different locations in the district, TERM Cell (Telecom Enforcement Resource and Monitoring Cell Kerala) of telecommunication department organized an awareness seminar at Kozhikode collectorate conference hall, on Friday.
The seminar discussed the impact of the emission of radioactive rays from the towers on the health of human beings. The work of 4G towers could not proceed at many locations in the district owing to protest from public.
According to rough figures, the telecom companies are given permission to set up 137 towers in Kozhikode city corporation limit alone, of which the construction of over 50 per cent of the towers is facing severe public protest.
At many places, the mobile phone companies and contractors were forced to carry out the work of the towers in secretive manner fearing public protests.
During the seminar, V Raghunandan, deputy director general of TERM cell termed the allegations regarding radition from cell phone towers as baseless. The ration will have affect only in the 5 metre radius, he claimed. He also denied the allegation that cell phone towers cause cancer and other diseases. There exist strict norms in India regarding the installation of cell phone towers, he claimed.
District collector N Prasanth inaugurated the seminar. Telecom committee member C Janardhanan, members of various residents' associations, members of corporation and panchayat wards and representatives of anti-mobile tower action committees also attended the seminar.
The representatives raised their questions regarding the safety of human beings and other beings and also raised concern over the move to give nod for the installation of more than one cell phone tower in a particular area.