A new ruling from a state high court could help alleviate restrictions placed on cell tower construction in India.
The effect of cell tower radiation on human health has been a subject of interest and concern across the world, as a result of the significant increase in global mobile phone usage within the last decade. While the effects have yet to be scientifically confirmed, in India, fear over radiation risks was triggered after a 2011 government study investigating electromagnetic field exposure norms cited several studies linking health disorders to cell tower radiation.
New radiation emission guidelines for mobile phones and telecom towers were enacted later that year, reducing the level of accepted radiation to one-tenth of the previous amount.
In November 2012, the Rajasthan high court expressed support for the report, citing harmful electromagnetic radiation in its order to relocate mobile towers away from educational institutions, hospitals, playgrounds and jails in the state. Appeals filed by telecom operators and related organizations, including the Cellular Operators Association of India and Associate Union of Telecom Service Providers, were dismissed.
Now, in a landmark judgment that could drastically reduce restrictions placed on telecoms companies, the Kerala High Court has ruled that there is no current evidence to support claims of the harmful effects of telecom towers on people, and that telecommunications companies cannot be prevented from erecting towers if they have necessary permits.
The ruling was handed down following the hearing of a writ petition filed by Indus Towers Limited seeking police protection for cell tower construction at Peringmala in Nedumangad, Kerala.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) praised the decision, saying the judgment would help remove “unwarranted fears” on the harmful effects of cell tower radiation.
“We welcome the decision of the honorable High Court. We are fully committed to the sensitivities and concerns of our customers and believe that this landmark order will debunk several myths propagated by certain groups,” Rajan S Mathews, COAI director general, said in a statement.
“I am sure the verdict of the Kerala High Court will go a long way in the removal of fears about the safety of EMF emission from telecom towers all across India.”
