Don't oppose mobile towers for BRICS summit: Goa CM to locals

Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar today issued a warning to the village panchayats opposing mobile towers which are to be erected for the next month's BRICS summit in the coastal state.
"We are getting opportunity to host events like the BRICS summit. The state government, panchayats or municipalities should embrace this opportunity to project Goa on the world platform," Parsekar told reporters after chairing a cabinet meeting here.
"There is a huge bandwidth requirement as the BRICS summit proceedings have to be continuously telecast live for which towers have to be put up," he said.
"The panchayats should not oppose towers or we will have to draw our weapons, the panchayats must co-operate," he said, refusing to explain what he meant by "weapons".

Annual summit of BRICS, the grouping of emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, would be held in South Goa district on October 15 and 16.
Parsekar said it was a prestigious event and opposing the development work on flimsy grounds would put the reputation of the state at stake.

Some panchayats opposed the mobile towers for the fear that these towers cause cancer, he said, adding that the government "has started educating people on apprehension of danger of radiation due to mobile towers."
Cellular Operators Association of India had also held workshops in the area where the towers would come up, said the Chief Minister.

Further, the Secretary, Union Telecommunication Department, had assured that radiation emitted by mobile towers will be checked before the towers are installed, he said.