Peddar Rd locals protest cellphone towers in area

Residents of eight buildings complain that 5 towers installed on Maheshwar Niketan are affecting their health, launch signature campaign.

Residents of eight buildings on Peddar Road have initiated a signature campaign for the removal of five mobile phone towers from a neighbouring building, Maheshwar Niketan, ahead of its annual general meeting, to be held on August 5.

HT Image

At the AGM, committee members will take a final call on whether the contract with the cellphone companies should be renewed. The signatures will be submitted to the building secretary.

There are five towers and 20 antennae installed on its terrace.

Residents who live on the top floor of Maheshwar Niketan and those from other societies believe the radiation is affecting their health. They have already written to the committee, requesting it to remove the towers. In May, about 300 locals also held a protest rally.

Residents of Ajanta Apartments suspect that two of their residents who died of cancer were affected by radiation. Several others suffer from sleeplessness, hearing problem and memory loss. Vinod Shah, secretary of Ajanta, said: “Tests showed high radiation levels in all rooms on the top two floors.”

Smita Agarwal, who lives on the top floor of Maheshwar Niketan, has filled her living room with plants to protect her family - plants are believed to absorb a lot of radiation. “In spite of writing several times, the committee has not bothered,” she said.

When attempts to resolve the issue amicably did not yield results, residents filed an RTI application and wrote to the deputy registrar of D-ward. “The RTI response revealed that all towers are illegal,” said Shah.

School authorities of Activity High School, which is less than 30 metres away from Maheshwar Niketan, have joined the campaign. “Around 1,000 parents have signed the letter. We are afraid it will have severe health effects on kids,” said principal Perin Bagli. Hardik Kapadia, chairman, Maheshwar Niketan, refused to comment.