The Centre and the city Government were on Monday directed by the Delhi High Court to respond to a plea for a ban on high frequency radio mobile phone towers in residential areas as its radiation causes health hazards.

Issuing notices to the Department of Telecommunication, the Chief Secretary of Delhi Government and a leading mobile service provider, Mr Justice Rajiv Shakdher sought their replies by January 14, 2013.

The court was hearing a petition filed by one Mr Ramnath Garg, through his counsel Mr Sugriv Dubey, for imposing a ban on installation of high frequency mobile phone towers within 50 metres of schools, hospitals and residential localities.

“Respondents to be directed to stop the radio frequency waves emitted from cell phone towers causing radiation in the schools, hospitals and residential localities in which the towers be not allowed to be installed in 50 metres of the places,” the petition said.

“The radiation from the cell phone towers causes different types of swelling in the brain, head, hearing disorder, headache and anxiety neurosis...but no action is taken for the safety of the persons living around the towers,” the petition also said.

Apart from seeking a ban on high frequency radio towers in populated areas, the petition also sought directions to the Department of Telecom, private operators and the State Government to take steps to reduce exposure to radiation.

The petitioner had also sought the court in 2010 to enforce guidelines prepared by a committee formed to study health hazards from cell phone towers.

The petitioner, an East Delhi resident, has also sought compensation for the death of his 30-year-old son who he claimed had died of cancer caused by radiation from a mobile tower on the roof of his house

Mr Garg has sought a compensation of Rs 50 lakh from the authorities as “the amount to be given for the negligence of the respondents causing death to his son.”

According to the petitioner, all his family members gained weight over one year. But with time, they faced difficulty in sleeping at night, faced digestion problems and their health began to deteriorate.

A doctor had advised him to get the tower removed from his house suspecting it might be responsible for their health problems, the petitioner also said.

Referring to a World Health Organisation report, Mr Garg claimed he had made repeated requests to the Government and the mobile phone company to remove the tower but nothing was done.

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