Lok Sabha Question No. 678 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-06-26
Subject: Radiation Norms for Mobile Towers
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Gitaben Vajesingbhai Rathva

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 678 TO BE ANSWERED ON 26 TH  JUNE, 2019

## RADIATION NORMS FOR MOBILE TOWERS

## 678. SHRIMATI RATHVA GITABEN VAJESINGBHAI:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of mobile towers in the country, State/UT-wise and the radiation norms for the same;
- (b) whether cases of violation of the said norms by Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have come to the notice of the Government and if so, the details thereof during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise along with the amount of penalty imposed on them, TSP-wise;
- (c) whether the Government has doubled the penalty for violation of such norms in recent past and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the other corrective steps taken by the Government to keep a check on the erring TSPs?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS, LAW & JUSTICE AND ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

- (a) Licensed Service Area wise (LSA-wise) details of number of mobile towers is provided at Annexure-I. The  present  EMF  emission  norms  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)

(b) The  Licensed  Service  Area  wise  (LSA-wise)  details  of  number  of  Base  Transceiver Stations  (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.  Telecom  Service Provider (TSP) wise details of penalty imposed on 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-III.

(c) On 20.11.2013, the penalty has been increased from Rs. 5 lakh per BTS to Rs 10 lakh per BTS per incidence in case of non-compliance to actual EMF norms. Further, on 29.03.2019, in case of a shared site, a penalty of Rs 20 lakh per BTS per incidence has been prescribed to be imposed on rogue BTS(s) (BTS whose exposure ratio/index is more than '1') if the site becomes compliant removing contribution of that rogue BTS(s). However, if the site is not compliant even after  removing  the  contribution  of  that  rogue  BTS  (s),  then  a  penalty  in  proportion  to  the exposure ratio (Rs. 20 lakh x Exposure Ratio) is prescribed to be imposed on all the remaining participating BTSs.

(d) In  addition  to  levy  of  financial  penalty  as  mentioned  above,  if  the  BTS  is  not  made compliant to the EMF radiation norms within 30 days by the erring TSP, the same is required to be shut down as per prescribed procedure.

## ANNEXURE-I

## LICENSED SERVICE AREA WISE (LSA-WISE) DETAILS OF NUMBER OF MOBILE TOWERS:

| SN   | LSA              |   NUMBER OF MOBILE TOWERS |
|------|------------------|---------------------------|
| 1    | Andhra Pradesh   |                     43237 |
| 2    | Assam            |                     12657 |
| 3    | Bihar            |                     39254 |
| 4    | Delhi            |                     26461 |
| 5    | Gujarat          |                     33212 |
| 6    | Himachal Pradesh |                      6739 |
| 7    | Haryana          |                     12747 |
| 8    | Jammu &Kashmir   |                      9489 |
| 9    | Karnataka        |                     35804 |
| 10   | Kolkata          |                     12966 |
| 11   | Kerala           |                     17360 |
| 12   | Mumbai           |                     16421 |
| 13   | Maharashtra      |                     42436 |
| 14   | Madhya Pradesh   |                     41295 |
| 15   | North East       |                      8111 |
| 16   | Odisha           |                     17834 |
| 17   | Punjab           |                     20243 |
| 18   | Rajasthan        |                     30159 |
| 19   | Tamilnadu        |                     42977 |
| 20   | UP(East)         |                     33603 |
| 21   | UP(West)         |                     28974 |
| 22   | West Bengal      |                     22280 |
|      | Grand Total      |                    554259 |

## ANNEXURE-II

LICENSED  SERVICE  AREA  WISE  (LSA-WISE)  DETAILS  OF  NUMBER  OF  BASE TRANSCEIVER  STATIONS  (BTSs)  FOUND  EXCEEDING  THE  PRESCRIBED  EMF RADIATION LIMITS ON ACTUAL TESTING DURING EACH OF THE LAST THREE YEARS AND THE CURRENT YEAR:

| S.No.   | Name of LSA      |   2016-17 |   2017-18 |   2018-19 |   2019-20 (till april 30.4.2019) |
|---------|------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|----------------------------------|
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh   |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 2       | Assam            |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 3       | Bihar            |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 4       | Delhi            |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 5       | Gujarat          |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 6       | Haryana          |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 7       | Himachal Pradesh |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 8       | Jammu &Kashmir   |         0 |         0 |         9 |                                0 |
| 9       | Karnataka        |        29 |        42 |        20 |                                0 |
| 10      | Kerala           |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 11      | Kolkata          |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 12      | Madhya Pradesh   |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 13      | Maharashtra      |        10 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 14      | Mumbai           |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 15      | North East       |         0 |         8 |         0 |                                0 |
| 16      | Odisha           |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 17      | Punjab           |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 18      | Rajasthan        |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 19      | Tamil Nadu       |         0 |         3 |        27 |                                0 |
| 20      | UP(East)         |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 21      | UP West          |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                0 |
| 22      | West Bengal      |         0 |         7 |         0 |                                0 |
|         | Total            |        39 |        60 |        56 |                                0 |

## ANNEXURE-III

TELECOM SERVICE PROVIDER (TSP) WISE DETAILS OF PENALTY IMPOSED ON BTSs  FOUND  EXCEEDING  THE  PRESCRIBED  EMF  RADIATION  LIMITS  ON ACTUAL  TESTING  DURING  EACH  OF  THE  LAST  THREE  YEARS  AND  THE CURRENT YEAR:

|                           | 2016-17      | 2016-17         | 2017-18      | 2017-18         | 2018-19      | 2018-19         | 01.04.2019 to 30.04.2019   | 01.04.2019 to 30.04.2019   |
|---------------------------|--------------|-----------------|--------------|-----------------|--------------|-----------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|
| TSP Name                  | NC BTS Count | Penalty Imposed | NC BTS Count | Penalty Imposed | NC BTS Count | Penalty Imposed | NC BTS Count               | Penalty Imposed            |
| Aircel/Dishnet            | 1            | 0               | 4            | 2042463         | 2            | 4000000         | 0                          | 0                          |
| Airtel/BHL                | 14           | 0               | 17           | 5013959         | 23           | 32000000        | 0                          | 0                          |
| BSNL                      | 2            | 0               | 0            | 0               | 0            | 2000000         | 0                          | 0                          |
| Idea/ABTL                 | 1            | 0               | 7            | 2000000         | 7            | 9000000         | 0                          | 0                          |
| Loop                      | 0            | 0               | 0            | 0               | 0            | 0               | 0                          | 0                          |
| MTNL                      | 0            | 0               | 0            | 0               | 0            | 0               | 0                          | 0                          |
| Reliance                  | 1            | 0               | 2            | 0               | 0            | 3000000         | 0                          | 0                          |
| Reliance Jio              | 5            | 0               | 5            | 0               | 12           | 10000000        | 0                          | 0                          |
| SSTL (MTS)                | 0            | 0               | 0            | 0               | 0            | 0               | 0                          | 0                          |
| TTSL/TTML/Tata            | 2            | 0               | 7            | 1000000         | 0            | 8000000         | 0                          | 0                          |
| Telenor/Telewings/ Uninor | 1            | 0               | 0            | 0               | 0            | 3000000         | 0                          | 0                          |
| Videocon                  | 0            | 0               | 0            | 0               | 0            | 0               | 0                          | 0                          |
| Vodafone                  | 12           | 0               | 18           | 5000000         | 12           | 28000000        | 0                          | 0                          |
| Grand Total               | 39           | 0               | 60           | 15056422        | 56           | 99000000        | 0                          | 0                          |

NC - Non Compliant.

NOTE:  The  process  of  the  imposition  of  penalty  for  the  non-compliant  BTSs  found  in  a particular financial year may be carried out in the subsequent financial years.

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