Govt mulls ban on cellphone towers

LAHORE - The Punjab government is planning to ban installation of towers of cellular phones called 'base transceiver stations' (BTS) in residential areas to protect residents from electromagnetic waves causing biological and neurological damages including high blood pressure, loss of memory, cancer, cardiac and respiratory problems, The Nation learnt here on Friday.

Sources privy to the development revealed that the proposed ban would continue until the appropriate legislations were made to counter cellphone towers' environmental as well as safety threats to the residents.

Sources said the Ministry of Information Technology had already asked the PTA to establish national guidelines for mitigating the environmental and health related effects of the cellular based station antennas and for addressing public concerns about radiation hazards of the infrastructures.

Before imposition of ban, sources disclosed that TMOs powers to allow the cellphone company to install phone towers would be delegated to the DCO to ensure the execution of ban and new laws.

The DCO will be directed to prepare the list of all the towers installed in residential and commercial areas. These lists will also include towers erected without NOC from the competent authority, sources added.

It may be recalled that Lahore High Court had also observed that cellular companies should not be allowed to install transmission towers/antennas in residential areas some two months back.