15-day ultimatum for illegal mobile towers

The district town planning (enforcement), Gurgaon, has sent an ultimatum to the illegal mobile tower operators to apply for regularisation within 15 days. If they fail to do so, the department will begin dismantling them.

The district town planning (enforcement), Gurgaon, has sent an ultimatum to the illegal mobile tower operators to apply for regularisation within 15 days. If they fail to do so, the department will begin dismantling them.

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The ultimatum came after ambiguity was cleared over jurisdiction of enforcement, regarding buildings on which towers are installed. The confusion was over who would take action: DTP (enforcement) or Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG).

“If the building on which a mobile tower is installed has got sanction from DTP, it is the DTP Enforcement's responsibility to take action,” said a senior enforcement official referring to a notice issued by the MCG commissioner on Friday.

The ambiguity of action has been helping mobile tower operators in procuring court stay even in controlled areas, where all the building plans have been sanctioned by the DTP.

“We will remove all the towers currently operating without permission from the competent authority on rooftops of residential buildings in controlled areas,” said Dilbag Singh, district town planner (enforcement), Gurgaon.

The DTP failed in the past to take strong action against the mobile tower operators due to ambiguity of enforcement jurisdiction.

“The mobile tower operators took advantages of ambiguity convincing the court that Gurgaon is under MCG and only MCG enforcement can take action. But now our request is that the operators should immediately apply with the department,” said Dilbag Singh.

On Friday, the MCG cleared that DTP can take action against these operators.

“We have sent notices to tower operators several times but they never applied for regularisation. They will have to comply with the latest notice and pay penalty,” said the official. Nearly 200 illegal towers are operating and most of them have got a stay order from HC.