Lok Sabha Question No. 5199 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: Radiation from Mobile Towers
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: PINAKI MISRA, S.P. MUDDAHANUMEGOWDA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5199 TO BE ANSWERED ON 5 TH   APRIL, 2017

## RADIATION FROM MOBILE TOWERS

5199. SHRI PINAKI MISRA: SHRI S.P. MUDDAHANUME GOWDA:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Electromagnetic Signals/Radiations received and transmitted through the mobile towers have proved to be harmful to humans and if so, the details thereof including the study, if any, conducted by the Government in this regard;
- (b) the  norms  and  guidelines  set  up  by  the  Government  for  installation  of  towers near public places and the radiation limit fixed for the same;
- (c) whether the cases of violation of the said norms by service providers have come to the notice of the Government and if so, the details thereof including the number of such cases reported during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UTwise;
- (d) the corrective steps taken and penalty imposed by the Government on the erring service providers, State-wise and company-wise; and
- (e) the steps taken/being taken by the Government  to organise  awareness programme on radiations from mobile towers across the country?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS & MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a) No,  Madam.  With  regard  to  impact  of  Electromagnetic  Field  (EMF)  emissions from  mobile  towers  on  health,  World  Health  Organization  (WHO)  has  referred  to approximately  25,000  articles  published  around  the  world  over  past  30  years,  and based on an in-depth review of scientific literature, has stated, ' Despite the feeling of some people that more research needs to be done, scientific knowledge in this area is now more extensive than for most chemicals. ' WHO has concluded - ' current evidence does not confirm the existence of any health consequences from exposure to low level electromagnetic fields '.

An  Inter-Ministerial  Committee  (IMC),  setup  in  2010  to  examine  the  effect  of EMF Radiation from base stations and mobile phones, after examining various national and international studies on the environmental and health related concerns due to EMF, had, inter-alia, indicated that most of the laboratory studies were unable to find a direct link between exposure to radio frequency radiation and health.

Also, a committee comprising of members from Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) Kharagpur, Kanpur, Delhi, Roorkee, Bombay and from other scientific institutions of  the  country  including  Indian  Council  of  Medical  Research  (ICMR)  and  All  India Institute  of  Medical  Science  (AIIMS)  Delhi  was  setup  at  the  behest  of  Hon'ble  High Court Allahabad, Lucknow bench. The Committee in its report, submitted in 2014, has, inter-alia,  noted  -  ' ...there  are  no  conclusive  evidence  to  establish  any  causal  link between the effect of EMF radiation from BTS with biological effects described in cell models, animals or humans, and any possible resulting health effects .'

(b) Department  of  Telecommunications  (DoT)  has  issued  advisory  guidelines  to state  governments  in  2013  for  issue  of  clearance  for  installation  of  mobile  towers,  a copy  of  the  same  is  provided  at Annexure-I .  These  guidelines  are  applicable  to  all areas, including public places.

With  regard  to  the  EMF  emission  limits  for  Base  Transceiver  Stations  (BTSs), main  conclusion  from  the  WHO  reviews  is  that  EMF  exposures  below  the  limits recommended  in  the  International  Commission  on  Non  Ionizing  Radiation  Protection (ICNIRP) international  guidelines do not  appear  to  have  any  known  consequence on health. In India norms for exposure limit for the Radio Frequency Field (Base Station Emissions)  are  already  10  times  more  stringent  than  the  safe  limits  prescribed  by ICNIRP and recommended by WHO.  The present EMF emission limits as laid down for BTSs installed at various mobile towers in India are as follows:

| Frequency Range     | E-Field Strength (Volt/Meter)   | H-Field Strength (Amp/Meter)   | Power Density (Watt/Sq.Meter)   |
|---------------------|---------------------------------|--------------------------------|---------------------------------|
| 400 MHz to 2000 MHz | 0.434 f ½                       | 0.0011 f ½                     | f / 2000                        |
| 2 GHz to 300 GHz    | 19.29                           | 0.05                           | 1                               |

(f is frequency in MHz)

(c) The  Licensed  Service  Area  wise  (LSA-wise)  details  of  number  of  BTSs  found exceeding the prescribed EMF radiation limits on actual testing during each of the last three years and the current year is provided at Annexure - II .

(d) In case, any BTS site is found to violate the prescribed EMF norms, actions are taken to put a penalty of Rs. 10 lakh per BTS per incidence including closing of BTS site  as  per  the  prescribed  procedure  if  the  violation  persists.  Licensed  Service  Area wise (LSA-wise) and Telecom Service Provider(TSP) wise details  of penalty imposed on  BTSs  found  exceeding  the  prescribed  EMF  radiation  limits  as  on  31.01.2017  is provided at Annexure-III & Annexure-IV respectively.

(e) Department  of  Telecommunications  (DoT)  has  been  carrying  out  Awareness Programmes  on  EMF  Emissions  &  Telecom  Towers  to  build  a  direct  bridge  of engagement between different stakeholders and to fill the information gap with scientific evidence. The details of places where such programmes have been conducted by DoT and its field units along with its stake holders is attached as Annexure-V .

## Annexure-I

Annexure-II The Licensed Service Area wise (LSA-wise) details of number of BTSs found exceeding the prescribed EMF radiation limits on actual testing during each of the last three years and the current year

|       |                      | Year 2013-14          | Year 2013-14                                        | Year 2014-15          | Year 2014-15                                        | Year 2015-16          | Year 2015-16                                        | Year 2016-17          | Year 2016-17                                        |
|-------|----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
| S.N o | LSA                  | Number of BTSs tested | Number of BTSs found exceeding EMF radiation limits | Number of BTSs tested | Number of BTSs found exceeding EMF radiation limits | Number of BTSs tested | Number of BTSs found exceeding EMF radiation limits | Number of BTSs tested | Number of BTSs found exceeding EMF radiation limits |
| 1     | Andhra Pradesh       | 6,102                 | 0                                                   | 6,663                 | 0                                                   | 7,123                 | 0                                                   | 8,885                 | 0                                                   |
| 2     | Assam                | 1,501                 | 0                                                   | 1,612                 | 2                                                   | 1,989                 | 0                                                   | 2,166                 | 0                                                   |
| 3     | Bihar                | 3,384                 | 0                                                   | 4,596                 | 0                                                   | 5,583                 | 0                                                   | 5,369                 | 0                                                   |
| 4     | Delhi                | 3,187                 | 0                                                   | 3,733                 | 0                                                   | 4,395                 | 0                                                   | 4,376                 | 0                                                   |
| 5     | Gujarat              | 4,724                 | 0                                                   | 4,819                 | 0                                                   | 4,843                 | 0                                                   | 6,267                 | 0                                                   |
| 6     | Haryana              | 1,749                 | 0                                                   | 1,933                 | 0                                                   | 2,258                 | 0                                                   | 2,670                 | 0                                                   |
| 7     | Himanchal Pradesh    | 763                   | 0                                                   | 817                   | 0                                                   | 1,101                 | 0                                                   | 1,245                 | 0                                                   |
| 8     | Jammu and Kashmir    | 642                   | 1                                                   | 670                   | 0                                                   | 858                   | 0                                                   | 984                   | 0                                                   |
| 9     | Karnataka            | 5,681                 | 10                                                  | 6,137                 | 0                                                   | 7,216                 | 6                                                   | 7,440                 | 29                                                  |
| 10    | Kerala               | 3,329                 | 0                                                   | 3,494                 | 0                                                   | 3,996                 | 0                                                   | 4,565                 | 0                                                   |
| 11    | Kolkata              | 1,407                 | 0                                                   | 1,951                 | 0                                                   | 2,554                 | 0                                                   | 3,189                 | 0                                                   |
| 12    | Maharashtra          | 6,294                 | 4                                                   | 5,345                 | 0                                                   | 7,211                 | 0                                                   | 9,965                 | 0                                                   |
| 13    | Madhya Pradesh       | 5,508                 | 14                                                  | 4,288                 | 0                                                   | 5,579                 | 0                                                   | 6,942                 | 0                                                   |
| 14    | Mumbai               | 2,303                 | 36                                                  | 2,013                 | 0                                                   | 1,742                 | 0                                                   | 3,551                 | 0                                                   |
| 15    | North East           | 1,263                 | 0                                                   | 1,049                 | 0                                                   | 1,338                 | 0                                                   | 1,185                 | 0                                                   |
| 16    | Odisha               | 2,251                 | 0                                                   | 1,262                 | 0                                                   | 1,311                 | 0                                                   | 2,113                 | 0                                                   |
| 17    | Punjab               | 2,686                 | 0                                                   | 2,703                 | 0                                                   | 3,287                 | 0                                                   | 4,246                 | 0                                                   |
| 18    | Rajasthan            | 3,403                 | 0                                                   | 3,604                 | 0                                                   | 3,457                 | 0                                                   | 5,053                 | 0                                                   |
| 19    | Tamil Nadu           | 9,135                 | 0                                                   | 7,560                 | 0                                                   | 8,368                 | 0                                                   | 10,040                | 0                                                   |
| 20    | Uttar Pradesh (East) | 5,060                 | 10                                                  | 2,862                 | 0                                                   | 5,198                 | 0                                                   | 5,209                 | 0                                                   |
| 21    | Uttar Pradesh (West) | 3,799                 | 0                                                   | 3,544                 | 0                                                   | 4,541                 | 0                                                   | 4,340                 | 0                                                   |
| 22    | West Bengal          | 2,144                 | 0                                                   | 3,030                 | 0                                                   | 2,720                 | 6                                                   | 2,934                 | 0                                                   |
|       | Total                | 76,315                | 75                                                  | 73,685                | 2                                                   | 86,668                | 12                                                  | 1,02,734              | 29                                                  |

Annexure-III Licensed Service Area wise (LSA-wise) details of penalty imposed on BTSs found exceeding the

## prescribed EMF radiation limits on actual testing as on 31.01.2017

| Sl. No.   | LSA                  | Total number of BTSs tested as on 31.01.2017   |   No. of BTS found exceeding prescribed Emf radiation limits (as on 31.01.2017) | Amount of penalty imposed on account of violation of radiation norms (as on 31.01.2017)   |
|-----------|----------------------|------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh       | 37,155                                         |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
| 2         | Assam                | 8,126                                          |                                                                               2 | 20,00,000                                                                                 |
| 3         | Bihar                | 20,814                                         |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
| 4         | Delhi                | 15,869                                         |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
| 5         | Gujarat              | 24,039                                         |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
| 6         | Haryana              | 10,850                                         |                                                                               1 | 5,00,000                                                                                  |
| 7         | Himachal Pradesh     | 5,067                                          |                                                                               6 | 30,00,000                                                                                 |
| 8         | Jammu and Kashmir    | 2,635                                          |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
| 9         | Karnataka            | 37,270                                         |                                                                              50 | 1,15,34,274                                                                               |
| 10        | Kerala               | 19,146                                         |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
| 11        | Kolkata              | 9,728                                          |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
| 12        | Maharashtra          | 30,763                                         |                                                                               4 | 20,00,000                                                                                 |
| 13        | Mumbai               | 10,482                                         |                                                                             127 | 6,35,00,000                                                                               |
| 14        | North East           | 5,394                                          |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
| 15        | Odisha               | 11,712                                         |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
| 16        | Punjab               | 13,721                                         |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
| 17        | Rajasthan            | 17,914                                         |                                                                               1 | 5,00,000                                                                                  |
| 18        | West Bengal          | 11,063                                         |                                                                               6 | 60,00,000                                                                                 |
| 19        | Madhya Pradesh       | 24,567                                         |                                                                              14 | 1,40,00,000                                                                               |
| 20        | Tamilnadu            | 38,292                                         |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
| 21        | Uttar Pradesh (East) | 19,902                                         |                                                                              10 | 50,00,000                                                                                 |
| 22        | Uttar Pradesh (West) | 17,856                                         |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
|           | Grand Total          | 3,92,365                                       |                                                                             221 | 10,80,34,274                                                                              |

## Annexure-IV

## Telecom Service Provider(TSP) wise details of penalty imposed on BTSs found exceeding the prescribed EMF radiation limits on actual testing as on 31.01.2017

| Sl. No.   | TSP                      | Total number of BTSs tested as on 31.01.2017   |   No. of BTS found exceeding prescribed Emf radiation limits (as on 31.01.2017) | Amount of penalty imposed on account of violation of radiation norms (as on 31.01.2017)   |
|-----------|--------------------------|------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Aircel/Dishnet           | 27,551                                         |                                                                              15 | 90,00,000                                                                                 |
| 2         | Airtel/BHL               | 86,982                                         |                                                                              52 | 2,15,06,855                                                                               |
| 3         | BSNL                     | 32,130                                         |                                                                               8 | 70,00,000                                                                                 |
| 4         | Etisalat/Allianz         | 48                                             |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
| 5         | IDEA/ABTL                | 64,918                                         |                                                                              17 | 95,06,855                                                                                 |
| 6         | Loop                     | 375                                            |                                                                              11 | 55,00,000                                                                                 |
| 7         | MTNL                     | 969                                            |                                                                               3 | 15,00,000                                                                                 |
| 8         | QTL/HFCL                 | 913                                            |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
| 9         | Reliance                 | 35,030                                         |                                                                              30 | 1,65,00,000                                                                               |
| 10        | Reliance Jio             | 21,781                                         |                                                                               2 | 0                                                                                         |
| 11        | SSTL (MTS)               | 4,971                                          |                                                                               1 | 5,00,000                                                                                  |
| 12        | STEL                     | 251                                            |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
| 13        | Tikona                   | 40                                             |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
| 14        | TTSL/TTML/Tata           | 36,284                                         |                                                                              30 | 1,45,13,709                                                                               |
| 15        | Videocon                 | 2,667                                          |                                                                               2 | 10,00,000                                                                                 |
| 16        | Vodafone                 | 65,481                                         |                                                                              43 | 1,80,06,855                                                                               |
| 17        | Telenor/Telewings/Uninor | 11,949                                         |                                                                               7 | 35,00,000                                                                                 |
| 18        | Augere                   | 25                                             |                                                                               0 | 0                                                                                         |
|           | Grand Total              | 3,92,365                                       |                                                                             221 | 10,80,34,274                                                                              |

Annexure-V Details of EMF Awareness Programmes carried out by DoT along with its Stakeholders

|   SN | Name of TERM Cell   | Locations at which EMF awareness workshops have been conducted   | District at which EMF awareness workshops have been conducted   | State at which EMF awareness workshops have been conducted   | Date/Month on which these workshops have been conducted   |
|------|---------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|    1 | Hyderabad           | ITC Kakatiya, Begumpet, Hyderabad                                | Hyderabad                                                       | Telangana                                                    | 13-07-2016                                                |
|    1 | Hyderabad           | Kukatpally, Hyderabad                                            | Rangareddy                                                      | Telangana                                                    | 18-02-2017                                                |
|    2 | Maharashtra         | At 18 Grampanchayats in the state of Goa                         | North Goa & South Goa                                           | Goa                                                          | 11-09-2016 & 22- 09-2016 to 25-09- 2016                   |
|    3 | North East-1        | The Shillong Club Ltd., Shillong                                 | East Khasi Hills District                                       | Meghalaya                                                    | 23-02-2017                                                |
|    4 | Rajasthan           | Hotel Golden Tulip                                               | Udaipur                                                         | Rajasthan                                                    | 17-02-2017                                                |
|    5 | Assam               | Guwahati                                                         | Kamrup (Metro)                                                  | Assam                                                        | 24-01-2017                                                |
|    5 | Assam               | Jorhat                                                           | Jorhat                                                          | Assam                                                        | 20-02-2017                                                |
|    6 | Mumbai              | Nariman Point, Mumbai                                            | Mumbai                                                          | Maharashtra                                                  | 23-08-2016                                                |
|    6 | Mumbai              | 1) Chikalim Panchayat 2) Vetim Panchayat 3) Nagova panchayat     | Goa                                                             | Goa                                                          | 11-09-2016                                                |
|    6 | Mumbai              | 1) Chikalim Panchayat 2) Vetim Panchayat 3)Verkha panchayat      | Goa                                                             | Goa                                                          | 23-09-2016 & 24- 09-2016                                  |
|    7 | DELHI               | ASSOCHAM                                                         | Delhi                                                           | Delhi                                                        | 17-11-2014                                                |
|    7 | DELHI               | Dwarka                                                           | Delhi                                                           | Delhi                                                        | 04-09-2015                                                |
|    7 | DELHI               | R K Puram                                                        | Delhi                                                           | Delhi                                                        | 31-10-2015                                                |
|    7 | DELHI               | IMA Delhi                                                        | Delhi                                                           | Delhi                                                        | Nov/Dec-2015                                              |
|    8 | Punjab              | Hotel Lalit, Chandigarh                                          | Chandigarh                                                      | Punjab                                                       | 21-10-2016                                                |
|    8 | Punjab              | Sector 34, Chandigarh                                            | Chandigarh                                                      | Punjab                                                       | Nov-16                                                    |
|    8 | Punjab              | BSNL office, Patiala                                             | Patiala                                                         | Punjab                                                       | Dec-16                                                    |
|    8 | Punjab              | U.I.E.T., Sector 25, Chandigarh                                  | Chandigarh                                                      | Punjab                                                       | 30-01-2017                                                |

|    |                | Jandiala Guru, Amritsar                                                                                 | Amritsar           | Punjab         | 31-01-2017            |
|----|----------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------|----------------|-----------------------|
|    |                | T.E. Building, Raiya                                                                                    | Amritsar           | Punjab         | 31-01-2017            |
|    |                | Panjab University, Chandigarh                                                                           | Chandigarh         | Punjab         | 31-01-2017            |
|    |                | Landran, Mohali                                                                                         | Mohali             | Punjab         | 13-02-2017            |
|    |                | Baba Banda Singh Bahadur College, Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab                                               | Fatehgarh Sahib    | Punjab         | 23-02-2017            |
|    |                | Sector 19, Chandigarh                                                                                   | Chandigarh         | Punjab         | 24-02-2017            |
| 9  | Jaipur         | OTS, JLN Marg, Jaipur                                                                                   | Jaipur             | Rajasthan      | 26-05-2012            |
| 9  | Jaipur         | Rambagh, Jaipur                                                                                         | Jaipur             | Rajasthan      | 30-07-2012            |
| 9  | Jaipur         | Deptt of Health and Medical Services, Govt of Rajasthan                                                 | Jaipur             | Rajasthan      | 11-09-2015            |
| 9  | Jaipur         | ITC Rajputana, Railway Station, Jaipur                                                                  | Jaipur             | Rajasthan      | 17-12-2016            |
| 10 | Andhra Pradesh | Vijayawada (Locations : Centrel Excise colony, Ranigarithota, Krishnalanka, Governerpet & Bhavanipuram) | Krishna            | Andhra Pradesh | 10-11-14 to 12- 11-14 |
| 10 | Andhra Pradesh | Kakinada                                                                                                | East Godavari      | Andhra Pradesh | 22-11-2014            |
| 10 | Andhra Pradesh | Nalgonda                                                                                                | Nalgonda           | Telangana      | 25-11-2014            |
| 10 | Andhra Pradesh | Vijayawada                                                                                              | Krishna            | Andhra Pradesh | 20-02-2015            |
| 11 | Kerala         | Ernakulam District Collectorate                                                                         | Ernakulam District | Kerala         | 28-02-2017            |
| 12 | Uttaranchal    | Hotel Madhuban , Rajpur Road, Dehradun                                                                  | Dehradun           | Uttarakhand    | 30-06-2016            |

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