Mumbai : BMC to set limit on mobile towers

Under pressure to implement stricter norms on mobile phone towers in the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is now considering allowing only one mobile tower atop each building.

Under pressure to implement stricter norms on mobile phone towers in the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation ( BMC) is now considering allowing only one mobile tower atop each building.

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This comes after a meeting with citizens’ groups on Wednesday. “We are considering their demands and a final call will be taken this week,” said Rajiv Kuknur, chief engineer, development plan department.

Also, the BMC has decided to make it mandatory to take consent of those living on the top floor before installing a tower or renewing its licence.

Citizens’ groups have been demanding that the BMC incorporate the department of telecommunication’s (DoT) recent guidelines in its policy, which was revised mid-August.

The DoT’s norms propose several restrictions on placing mobile phone towers on buildings.

Civic officials said the policy would be revised again by including the DoT guidelines.

Since then, meetings have been held to take suggestions from citizens.

During the meetings, the citizens’ groups also asked for more clarity in the number of legal and illegal towers in city.

“We have requested the civic officials to upload a list of all the legal towers in the city on the MCGM website. They have agreed to do so and have also said they will consider other important requirements in the policy,” said Vinod Shelar, a corporator.

When contacted, municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte said, “We are yet to take a call on the number of towers to be allowed on a building.”