Speed Post News Network
Patna: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Union Telecom and Health ministries over hazardous radiations from mobile phone towers. It has issued notices to them through their Secretaries calling for a report in the wake of allegations in a complaint that mobile phone towers, in the close vicinity of residential areas, are emitting radiations, hazardous to the health of human beings. They have been given two weeks time to respond.
The NHRC while issuing notices has observed that it can’t be denied that today’s generation is living amongst mobile towers, digital cables, mobiles etc and the virtual world has encompassed every aspect of human life. In such a scenario, if the allegations leveled in the complaint are true, the Right to Health and Right to Life of a common man is under serious threat, the NHRC said adding the government should adopt strategies which ensure that development is done without causing any substantive damage to the life and health of human beings and other living things.
The complainant has mentioned in detail the ill-effects of electro-magnetic radiations citing various scientific studies and guidelines, the NHRC said. He has submitted that a radiation is a threat to man’s health and life, especially patients, children, old people and the foetus. He has also referred to a aovernment order dated August 21, 2013 which states that the local self government institutions should confirm that “the proposed tower is not coming within 500 mts of schools/hospitals.” He has stated that this order is imperfect because it does not cover “houses” but only “schools/hospitals”, which should not be within 500 meters of a mobile phone tower. He alleged that due to this imperfect order, the mobile operators are violating safe radiation range and are erecting towers in thickly populated residential areas exposing people to electro-magnetic radiation.