Juhi Chawla, actor-cum-environmentalist, has filed a suit in the Delhi High Court in opposition to bringing in 5G technology in India.
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Environmental Concerns
She has expressed concerns about the impact of Radiofrequency (RF) radiation on health and safety of the people and its environmental impact.
She believes that if 5G is implemented in India, constant exposure to “levels of RF radiation that are 10x to 100x times greater than what exists today” will be unavoidable and harmful for any living being.
Her petition says that 5G technology will apparently cause irreversible damage on humankind and the environment at large.
She has arrived at this conclusion after (her) “own research and studies regarding the RF radiation from wire-free gadgets and network cell towers”.
Demands Fresh Study Without Private Involvement
The petition also called out the Ministry of Telecommunications which had said in response to an RTI query back in 2019 that no studies have been undertaken with regards to RF radiation.
It also expressed concerns that there are vested interests by private players in the launch of 5G in India.
She has called for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to conduct research on the matter, without private participation.
She has further asked for certification by the government and the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) that 5G technology poses no risk or hazard.
What WHO Has To Say
WHO (World Health Organization) said in a 2020 report that it found no evidence of a link between exposure to wireless technologies and negative health effects.
The only tangible physical effect on humans it has found was a “negligible temperature rise in the human body from Radiofrequency exposure”.
You can read the WHO report for yourself here.
Indian Govt On Dangers Of 5G
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said last month, in response to rumors and panic that 5G could be behind the crushing 2nd Coronavirus wave, that non-ionizing Radio frequencies emitted by mobile towers have very little power and as such cannot harm living cells in the human body.
It also assured the public of its stringent standards of safety which are 10x stricter compared to the WHO and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
Private telecom operators do not have free reign either, as the DoT also has a well-structured process in place which all operators have to adhere to.
Citizens’ Portal To File Request
Anyone can request EMF measurements/testing on Tarang Sanchar portal at https://tarangsanchar.gov.in/emfportal
The measurements could help shed light on the limits of radio wave emissions by towers.
The portal is an initiative by the DoT to increase public awareness about the health effects of EMF emission from mobile towers.
Further Reassurances And Need For Telecom
The Director General of Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) said, also in response to 5G-covid link rumors, that several countries already have 5G and their people are accessing the technology safely.
He also stressed on the importance of telecom for India especially in the present times.
The various needs of the hour, such as work from home, online classes, e-health and online doctor consultations and the provision of critical, factual and real-time information, would not be met if it weren’t for telecom.
The suit has been transferred to another bench which will hear the matter on June 2.
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