Port Blair, Jan 19: Telecommunication services have been playing an extremely important role in our economy and more so during pandemics/ disaster situations. During Covid-19 pandemic, telecom services played a major role in maintaining not only the continuity and the functioning of administrative machinery but also economic and industrial activities apart from facilitating ‘work from home’, education, news, entertainment, social networking, availing online services of A&N Administration such as state government portal, health, education, electricity, employment and keeping the friends and families connected.
The need for telecom services has gone up in an unprecedented manner in recent times. There is an immediate need for faster expansion of telecom infrastructure in A&N Islands. This calls for speedy deployment of towers to expand the coverage. DOT has planned to provide 4G mobile coverage by installing 128 towers for covering 85 uncovered villages and along NH-04 in A&N islands. However, due to misconceptions and misinformation, public at some locations are apprehensive whenever a tower is proposed in the vicinity of residence etc.
Department of Telecom (DoT) has created a mechanism to ensure that radiation limits from telecom towers are within limits. All telecom service providers have to give periodic certificates to this effect and DoT field offices have been mandated to audit 10% BTS every year. As part of this, DoT A&N has tested 351 out of 702 BTS till 31st December 2021and found that all towers are within the permitted radiation levels.
Apart from this, DoT has created a portal WWW.tarangsanchar.gov.in wherein there is a provision for the General Public to see the radiation level of towers in their vicinity by entering their area postal PIN code.
Considering the mobile expansion plan for introduction of 5G, the number of towers is to be increased from 309 to 511 within the next 2 years. Therefore, DoT A&N Port Blair hereby requests for co-operation among every stakeholder including the general public to shed all misconceptions about mobile tower radiations and come forward to extend all possible support for faster roll out of telecom infrastructure to meet the unprecedented demand for telecom services.
Furthermore, in order to create awareness and dispel myths about concerning EMF emissions from mobile towers, a session will be held on January 20, 2022 (11.30 am), and the general public is invited to participate via a Google link https://meet.google.com/xqu-gijp-sdv or send “Hi” message to 9932081423 to know more about this and get link.
