Fed up with frequent call drops and poor signal strength, residents of Noida are demanding the installation of more mobile towers across the city. However, many are sceptical about the health risk posed by these towers.*
Noida Authority is planning to amend its present mobile tower installation policy in the board meeting scheduled for March 9. The existing policy is not in sync with the 2012 guidelines issued by the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India.
A Noida Authority official told City Spidey that the modified draft will include changes in the mobile-tower structure, distance between the tower and residential areas, and height of antennas and safety apparatus. Twelve points are expected to be revised at the board meeting.
"Mobile users suffer frequent call drops and poor network across Noida. Better coverage is only possible if Noida Authority allows telecom operators to instal more towers," says Saurabh Agarwal, a resident of Sector 93A.
General secretary of the Sector 15A RWA, Ashok Chaturvedi, said that his office has received a number of complaints about call drops and poor mobile network. “I will welcome Noida Authority's decision to instal more mobile towers. It is imperative that something be done about the signal strength in Noida."
*According to World Health Organization, "Because exposure to the radiofrequency (RF) fields emitted by mobile phones is generally more than a 1000 times higher than from base stations, and the greater likelihood of any adverse effect being due to handsets, research has almost exclusively been conducted on possible effects of mobile phone exposure."
