According to guidelines issued by the urban development and housing (UDH) department, government of Rajasthan, the telecom service providers (TSPs) have been allowed to install mobile towers on buildings without the need to take permission from any authority. Under the new scheme, telecom companies will no longer be required to take permission from the authorities for laying cables or installing mobile towers or poles on private properties, particularly for 5G services. That said, the companies will only be required to submit a written intimation to the UDH department.
Further, the new notification has put a ban on anyone lodging a complaint against the installation of 5G towers. A neighbour can no longer protest or lodge a complaint in case a resident plans to rent a portion of their house or office for installation of a cell phone tower.
Earlier, to install a mobile phone tower, the operator had to apply to the authorities concerned in the respective cities or districts, and the authority used to publish a public notice. If any citizen raised an objection or offered a suggestion within 15 days, the authority used to start a hearing. There are several cases where the telecom firms’ applications were rejected after the hearing. Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) used to be the nodal agency for cell phone towers in Jaipur. UDH department officials, however, claimed that this was done in compliance with the recently formulated Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules, 2022, incorporated on August 25, 2022 .
In addition to amending the procedure for mobile tower installation, the UDH department has also reduced the charges for such installations by half or a third.
