Cell towers: HC turns down MCD fee hike

In a major relief to cellular companies, the Delhi high court on Friday struck down MCD's decision to increase fee for installation of mobile towers from R1 lakh to R5 lakh saying it is beyond the civic agency's jurisdiction. Harish V Nair reports.

In a major relief to cellular companies, the Delhi high court on Friday struck down MCD's decision to increase fee for installation of mobile towers from R1 lakh to R5 lakh saying it is beyond the civic agency's jurisdiction.

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Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, however, said the cellular operators cannot install the towers without MCD's permission. The court passed the order on a batch of petitions filed by different cellular firms, challenging the MCD's decision to raise the fee five times and putting stringent conditions for installing towers in residential areas. MCD had, on April 8 last year, hiked the licence fee from the earlier one-time payment of R1 lakh to R5 lakh for every five years. As MCD began its sealing drive against mobile towers which were not in compliance with its new rule, the operators had gone to the court which had restrained the sealing.