Mobile tower at Tikona Park legal: MCD tells NGT

Responding to a plea alleging the mobile tower was built illegally and posed health risks to residents, MCD said the tower was installed as per a January 2020 policy – Cellular Towers on Wheels (COW), which was framed by the erstwhile South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).

Published on: Oct 10, 2025, 09:00:18 IST

By Jasjeev Gandhiok

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The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that a mobile tower at the Tikona Park in west Delhi’s Hari Nagar was installed legally and has all necessary approvals.

The MCD said that there was no violation of rules as per the current policy.

Responding to a plea alleging the mobile tower was built illegally and posed health risks to residents, MCD said the tower was installed as per a January 2020 policy – Cellular Towers on Wheels (COW), which was framed by the erstwhile South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).

In a submission dated September 29 and uploaded on Thursday, MCD said its record shows permission was sought for the installation of a COW at the park in DB block, 6-A Hari Nagar, with due permission granted in August 2021.

“That as per record, the permission…dated August 16, 2021…issued by Assistant Commissioner, Remunerative Project Cell, SDMC permitting to Mis Indus Towers Ltd. to set up Ground Based monopole (GBM) at SDMC (Now MCD), Park DB Block, 6-A, Hari Nagar….has been granted as per norms of the policy,” MCD said.

It added that there was no violation of rules as per the current policy.

A similar plea for the mobile tower was pending before the Delhi High Court.

The NGT was hearing a plea filed by Dinesh Jain, a local, who alleged that a private company has installed a mobile tower inside the park without prior permission that led to removal of greenery. It said that permanent structures had been erected in the park.

It also alleged that the tower was generating a continuous humming sound, affecting the elderly and children in the vicinity. “The tower is also close to Tihar Jail, which poses a potential security risk,” the plea added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasjeev Gandhiok
Jasjeev Gandhiok is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times, where he covers environment, climate change, the clean energy transition and wildlife at the National Bureau. Gandhiok has over a decade of experience in journalism and is based in Delhi. He has reported extensively on Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This includes the region's air pollution woes, a polluted Yamuna and on urban wildlife still thriving in the region. He joined HT in October 2021. Prior to that, he had five-year stint at The Times of India in Delhi, where he also covered Delhi, with a focus on environment and wildlife. Gandhiok has covered some recent events around the Capital too, ranging from the farmers' protests, the northeast Delhi riots and the CAA-NRC protests, reporting from the ground on all of these. He also travels across the country to report on how environment and climate change impact everyday life, while also writing on endangered species. His reports in 2019 on toxic leachate from Delhi's landfills led to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) taking suo motu cognisance and ultimately asking the state government to start bio-mining to flatten and remove all three landfills in the capital. He also closely tracks the implementation of government policies on climate, renewable energy and environmental protection. His focus remains on impactful, public-interest journalism which explains how environmental decisions affect people's everyday lives.Read More

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