The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Delhi License Service Area (LSA) organised an awareness workshop at Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA), Ghaziabad on “EMF Emissions and Telecom Towers” on March 28, 2023. This session was organised as a part of DoT’s public advocacy programme to make the consumers aware about the growing need for mobile towers to build reliable telecom infrastructure and to break myths regarding the health effects of EMF exposure from mobile towers.
The workshop was addressed by Rakesh Kumar Singh, vice chairman, GDA, Sunitha Cherodath, senior DDG and Vijay Prakash, director, DoT, Delhi LSA. Presentation on various aspects of EMF and steps taken by DoT was covered by Lavi Gupta, ADG, DoT, Delhi LSA. Various health related aspects and myth about harmful effect of EMF radiations from mobile towers was also clarified by a medical expert, Dr. Tushar Kant Joshi, former advisor, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in a simplified way.
The workshop was attended by officers from district administration and various departments of state, GDA including municipalities and local bodies, public representatives, press and media
Rakesh Kumar Singh highlighted the importance of telecommunications as an effective tool for socio-economic development of a nation and emphasised that for best quality of telecommunication service to the customers, the expansion of mobile network including tower infrastructure are inevitable.
It was addressed by DoT that the EMF emissions from a mobile tower, which are below the safe limits prescribed by International Commission on Non Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and recommended by World Health Organisation (WHO), have no convincing scientific evidence of causing adverse health effects. Various judgements of High Courts of India on the issues of radiation from mobile tower says that there is no conclusive data to show that radiation from mobile tower is in any way harmful or hazardous to the health of citizens.
Finally the workshop concluded with vote of thanks by Brijesh Kumar, secretary, GDA.
DoT has already taken necessary steps and adopted stricter norms for safety from EMF radiation that are emitted from mobile towers. DoT has adopted the radiation norms which are 10 times stricter than the norms prescribed by ICNIRP as recommended by WHO.
