The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology have been issued notices by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for putting people’s Right to Health and Right to Life at risk by allowing mobile towers in close vicinity of human habitation.

 

The notices, to which the ministries have been asked to respond in two weeks, were filed on the back of a complaint that alleged “mobile phone towers, in the close vicinity of residential areas, are emitting radiations, hazardous to the health of human beings,” a statement by the NHRC said on Friday.

 

“It cannot be denied that today's generation is living amongst mobile towers, digital cables, mobiles etc. The virtual world has encompassed every aspect of human life. In such a scenario, if the allegations levelled in the complaint are true, the Right to Health and Right to Life of a common man is under serious threat,” the release by the NHRC said.

 

Several High Courts in the country had earlier ordered that mobile towers should not be constructed within 500 meters of schools and hospitals. The release by NHRC also said the complainant “also referred to a Government order dated 21 August, 2013, which states that the local self government institutions should confirm that ‘the proposed tower is not coming within 500 meters of schools/hospitals.’”

 

The complainant further said the combined radiation from all the mobile towers exceeded the prescribed safety limits, even if individually they were within the range, the release said.

 

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has, in fact, taken steps against companies whose towers exceeded radiation limits. In July 2015, Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told the Lok Sabha that our of 9,08,353 base transceivers stations (BTSs) in the country, 186 were found to be violating radiation norms for which they had been fined Rs 10.8 crore.

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