By Afnan Khan
LAHORE: Citizens across the provincial metropolis have come to view the hundreds of towers erected by mobile phone and telecom companies in residential areas as death traps after one such tower collapsed on a house and nearby electricity poles earlier this week.
A house was badly damaged and an electricity transformer and the network of high-voltage wires around it completely destroyed on Monday night. The Environment Protection Department and district government agencies concerned are planning to launch a massive operation against 5,000 such towers across the city to monitor if they were built after following proper safety measures.
Department officials told Daily Times investigation into the incident revealed that the 18-metre tower had been erected by the Internet service providing company, Wi-tribe, on the rooftop of a three-storey building — owned by one Shaukat Shah — in GOR-V Faisal Town, Lahore. It also revealed that the tower had been erected without prior permission or a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from any of the district government departments concerned.
Poor quality: One of the investigators told Daily Times the tower had not only been erected on a weak base, but the materials used, including pipes, were of poor quality. He said the heavy tower completely destroyed the electricity poles, transformers, high-voltage wires and partially damaged the house. WAPDA authorities have filed for Rs 1.2 million damages against the owners of the tower, a private wireless Internet company, while the residents of the house are also seeking action against damages to their property and the misery they suffered.
However, several people, especially those residing near such gigantic towers are in a constant state of fear as they are unaware if any more towers have been built under risky circumstances. A resident of Ichhra, Muhammad Ilyas, told Daily Times there was a similar tower above his neighbour’s residence. He said his family and other neighbours were extremely distressed with the tower being so close to their homes, as they had heard about the radiation caused by these towers.
Loopholes: “The news about the collapse of a tower after a storm has further increased our worries because we or anyone else could be the victim of any such incident. The incident exposes loopholes in law enforcement by the government and also points to the possibility of the presence of other feeble towers in the city,” he added.
Ilyas said the government should recheck all “monstrous” towers in the city before another such incident happens and causes any loss of life and property. There are more than 5,000 towers and poles built in Lahore district alone, while the maximum height of a tower allowed is 35 metres.
However, District Officer (Environment) Younus Zahid told Daily Times the department had already taken up the matter and those responsible for negligence were being punished. He said the government will also keep a vigilant eye on other towers in the city to ensure such incidents do not happen again. He also said there was no threat of radiation from the mobile phone towers as the waves used for communication through these towers were harmless for humans.
Source: Daily Times
Date:5/14/2010
