'95% mobile towers already complying with proposed norms'

Even as stringent new guidelines on mobile phone tower radiation are to be enforced from September 1, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) announced on Tuesday that they have already started complying with the norms to be introduced.

Even as stringent new guidelines on mobile phone tower radiation are to be enforced from September 1, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) announced on Tuesday that they have already started complying with the norms to be introduced.

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“Our 95% towers are already in compliance with the stricter norms that are to be implemented from September 1. The remaining 5% towers are being identified with help of Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and will have to comply with the norms before March 31, 2013,” said Rajan S Mathews, Director General, COAI.

The current permissible radiation levels are 4,500 milli watts per sqm, as per International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). The new guidelines, which the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will implement by September 1, proposes to lower the radiation levels to 1/10th of the existing level i.e. 450 milli watts per sqm.

The cellular operators have undertaken various infrastructure changes to comply the stricter norms like relocating the mobile towers, antennas and reducing the transmitted power in some areas. “The infrastructure changes to adopt the revised norms have already been undertaken,” added Mathews.

The operators have also proactively increased their informative seminars and interactive sessions to convince citizens that radiations emitted from towers are not harmful in past couple of months.

“Such seminars were earlier held once in month, but in the past couple of months over 12 such sessions were held in Mumbai to assure people that the radiations level are not harmful,” said COAI spokesperson, requesting anonymity.

When contacted, Sameer Sinha, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Indus Towers confirmed, “We have published and distributed educational material for demystifying the myths related to RF exposure. We have organized presentations to address the concerns of over 100 societies.”