Mangaluru: All the mobile towers which are being installed near schools, religious centres and hospitals need to be shifted at least 50 meters away from them as per the new guidelines of Telecommunication Towers Regulation 2019.
Earlier, there were no such guidelines and the mobile towers were being installed without any restrictions. As there was opposition from the public for the same, the government has framed guidelines to avoid the hazards of mobile towers mushrooming in the state.
Informing about the guidelines on Tuesday, June 4, Minister for Urban Development and Dakshina Kannada District In-charge Minister U T Khader said that the new regulations came into effect from May 29 and all the mobile towers which are being installed nearer to schools, religious buildings and hospitals, will have to be moved by at least 50 metres, 6 metres from the river boundaries, 5 metres from boundaries of lakes or tanks which are more than 10 hectares in size, 3 metres from the boundaries of lakes and tanks less than 10 hectares in dimension and 5 metres from defined boundaries of canals, stormwater drains of width of more than 10 metres.
Khader said that all the existing mobile towers near to the school buildings, religious buildings and hospitals should be moved away and installed at a prescribed distance, within three months. If the rules are not followed, necessary action would be taken against the persons concerned, he warned.
‘Don’t panic about Nipah virus’
When reporters mentioned the outbreak of Nipah virus in Kerala, Khader advised that the people should not panic about the virus in anyway. He informed that he had already consulted the District Health Officer (DHO) and asked him to take all precautionary measures to ensure that no people are infected by this virus. “Those who are suffering from fever, cough or any other symptoms should get the necessary treatment at the nearest health centres and the health department should also create proper awareness in this regard”, he added.
