NGT seeks telecom cos' reply on school's bid to remove mobile

The National Green Tribunal has sought responses from telecom companies, Vodafone, Bharti and Reliance and the South Delhi Municipal Corporation on a plea by a Dwarka-based school for removal of mobile phone towers installed on its premises.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar sought responses by January 17 on a petition filed by MR Vivekananda Model School seeking removal of the towers on the grounds that they may adversely impact the health of the students and teachers.
The school moved the tribunal in the wake of its de-recognition by the Director of Education, Delhi government, cancellation of its lease by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and complaints from the Parent-Teachers' Association regarding the harmful effects of the cellular phone towers.

As per its petition, the school was de-recognised and its lease cancelled after it entered into an agreement with the said telecom companies to install mobile phone towers on the roof of its building - something that is prohibited under the 2010, Municipal Corporation of Delhi guidelines.
The school said that it had allowed the installation of the towers prior to the drawing up of the guidelines and, when informed about the norms, had contacted the telecom companies seeking their removal.
In its plea, the school has alleged that the telecom companies did not pay heed to repeated communications seeking removal of the mobile towers.

In March, 2013, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) had the ordered sealing of the towers.
The towers, however, were soon cleared vide an April, 2013, order by a Delhi court following a plea by the telecom companies, the petition added.
Thereafter, DDA issued a show-cause notice to the school to either remove the towers or bear the expenses for the authority to dismantle the same, the petition added.