Most of the urban dwellers, especially who live in dense areas are in close vicinity of a mobile tower, and thought of radiations from these mobile towers haunts many. However, soon your doubts can be put to rest, as the Telecom Department on Tuesday has launched an online portal that allows people to track radiation emitted from mobile towers within their proximity. The platform lets users to also check their compliance with the specified standards.
Known as ‘Tarang Sanchar’ web portal, the website is said to clear the “myths and misconceptions” surrounding mobile tower and rate of emission, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha said. He added that the ambition behind setting up the application is primarily to provide a system to users so to check the proper functionality of the tower of a particular zone and whether they are compliant to the norms laid by the government for electromagnetic field (EMF).
Complaint and Creation
The launch of the new tracking method resonates with the recent SC order on the deactivation of a mobile tower in Gwalior. The complaint was filed by a 42-year old cancer patient who claimed that mobile tower radiation has negatively affected his health and has caused cancer. Interestingly, the Supreme Court’s decision favoured the complainant and subsequently ordered the removal of a cell tower in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
In a move to assuage the widespread health concern, the Minister’s comment came in the wake of Supreme Court order directing the deactivation of a BSNL tower in Gwalior. The minister said, “This is not the final order and it needs to be seen in that perspective. Let the final order come… Secondly, (given) the research so far, including by World Health Organization and even studies conducted in India by various institutions… I understand there is no ill effect of such (electromagnetic) radiation on the health of humans,” Sinha said on the sidelines of a CII event.
Cell phone, Health and Connectivity
There has been a rise in the number of studies that correlate to the concerns of mobile tower emission; however, there is no conclusive proof as to its effects although the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health has found that radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMF) from cell phone towers can cause diabetes. This new study examined the effects of EMFs emitted by cell towers on haemoglobin.
There are other findings that link EMF waves to cancer, but these findings need more basis. Till then, the concern remains.
How to use Tarang Sanchar portal
- Open the website: https://tarangsanchar.gov.in/EMFPortal/Home
- Click on My Location
- You will need to go through the registration process
- Sign in with your credentials and then activate your geolocation
- Enter the location for which you want to test the mobile tower signals.
If you have any comments please feel free to express, about the web portal.
