Protest against cell tower grows

KOCHI: Some residents of Cherlai in West Kochi are up in arms  against the installation of a mobile phone tower in their locality, as they claim that the area is thickly populated and the radiation from the tower might prove to be harmful to them.After being repeatedly denied permission by the Kochi Corporation, the government-owned BSNL had finally got the approval from the Government of Kerala in 2010, to set up the tower.  Upbeat over getting the clearance, BSNL started preliminary work on the mobile tower on the premises of a resident when opposition  against it started brewing.Now that the BSNL has begun its preliminary work to erect the tower, a group of residents under the aegis of ‘Action Council’ raised their voice against it and staged a dharna the other day.The council had convened a meeting to discuss this issue at Mattanchery on Sunday, Action Council president Vinod said.“We are not against the telecom company for setting up towers. The only fear is about the radiation which could affect the people of the area, as it is thickly populated,” Vinod said.He said that the tower in question was unnecessary as the telecom already had a tower in Mattanchery. He added that a letter had been sent to BSNL seeking to know why it was adamant in setting up the tower in the particular area.He said the council had submitted the letter about three days  ago and was yet to get a reply.The owner of the building where the tower has to be installed confirmed that he had allowed BSNL to  construct the tower on his premises. BSNL sources said it had commenced the work after getting sanction from the government, as the corporation had repeatedly rejected the proposal. The local body was not willing to give its nod due to the meagre amount of Rs 10,000 offered by the telecom, as against private operators who offered about Rs 2 lakh.  The sources said that unlike private parties, BSNL had its own limitations in using funds.They said a BSNL expert teams had inspected the  building and found it safe enough to have a tower on its roof.The sources said that it was the normal practice of the company to conduct a feasibility study by experts.