Telecom towers can be set up on rooftops in Punjab: High court
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has allowed the Punjab government to permit residential buildings to install telecom towers on rooftops.
The high court bench of justices HS Sidhu and Lalit Batra, however, said that competent authority would ensure that the towers are erected only on structurally safe and approved buildings. In March 2021, the high court had restrained authorities from allowing installation of towers on the rooftops of residential buildings while taking up a plea on dispute between a resident welfare association and a mobile firm on installation of towers in Mohali.
Now, the court was dealing with the applications filed by telecom firms seeking vacation of the stay and also from Punjab government, which had submitted that process was underway for upgrading infrastructure by telecom service providers to roll out 5G services. Hence, issue be relooked into.
The court also took note of judgments by various high court wherein petitions challenging the installation of mobile towers in residential areas primarily on the ground that such installation will be injurious to the health and safety of the residents, were dismissed, as apprehensions that the radiations from the mobile base stations are source of health hazard were found without any scientific basis.
During the hearing, the Centre had told court that the 2016 rules are in place on installation of towers. As of Punjab, it had told court that it has framed rules in 2020 to address the issue of structural safety if towers are to be installed on rooftops.
The court while vacating the stay further said that a panel, constituted in April 2021 to monitor the activities pertaining to erection of towers would continue to monitor the same and further said that government might now consider applications from firms for installation of towers strictly in consonance with the rules framed for the purpose.