Govt. to monitor mobile tower radiation levels from Nov.16: Pilot

NEW DELHI - The Union Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, Sachin Pilot, said on Saturday that nationwide random testing of radiations emitted by mobile towers will commence from November 16.

It will be done by the Telecom Engineering and Resource Monitoring (TERM) Cells.

The Minister has informed that the progress in this regard and compliance levels will be monitored centrally, and non-compliance will result in fines and penalties envisaged in existing guidelines and amended licence conditions, including imposition of a penalty of Rs. 500,000 for each non-compliant tower.

The Electro Magnetic emissions of mobile towers in India are governed by the guidelines drawn from the recommendations of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

The Minister had earlier directed that self-certification of radiation levels of all towers should be completed by the telecom operators and certificates to this effect should be submitted to the TERM Cells of the Department of Telecommunications by November 15, 2010.

Earlier, during his meeting with the telecom companies and other stakeholders in August, 2010, Mr. Pilot, while lauding their efforts in improving tele-density in the country, had underscored the importance of being sensitive to any health related issues that might arise from the operation of mobile phone towers. (ANI)