320 Mobile Towers Found Exceeding Prescribed EMF Radiation Limits: MoS Telecommunication
The amount collected through penalties is credited to the Consolidated Fund of India.
Telecom Department field units have tested as many as 11.6 lakh Base Transceiver Stations across the country for compliance to stipulated EMF radiation norms, as on December 2022, of which 320 were found exceeding prescribed limits, Parliament was informed on Friday.
As on Dec. 31, 2022, penalties of Rs 13.10 crore have been recovered from defaulting telecom service providers for exceeding the prescribed EMF limits, Minister of State for Communications, Devusinh Chauhan, said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
"As on 31.12.2022, Licensed Service Area field units of DoT have tested 11,61,281 number of Base Transceiver Stations across the country to check the compliance to prescribed Electromagnetic Field radiation norms, out of which a total of 320 BTSs were found exceeding the prescribed EMF limits," Chauhan said.
The amount collected through penalties is credited to the Consolidated Fund of India. Expenditures of the government are incurred from the 'Consolidated Fund of India' following the procedure laid down.
"The government has put in place a well-structured process and mechanism for monitoring any violation, so that Telecom Service Providers adhere to the prescribed norms including submission of self-certificate before commercial start of Base Transceiver Stations," Chauhan said.
The field units of the Department of Telecommunications regularly carry out the EMF audit up to 5% Base Transceiver Stations Sites annually on a random basis.
Department of Telecommunications also imposes financial penalties on operators, whose towers are found exceeding the prescribed EMF emission limits.
To a question, the Minister said the number of mobile towers installed in Belagavi district of Karnataka as on January 2023 stood at 2,811.
