Cell towers keep bylaws off network

New Delhi: The issue of illegal mobile towers is holding up the adoption of the new Unified Building Bylaws by the Delhi government and the municipal corporations. However, the union ministry of urban development (MoUD), which approved the bylaws and notified them in March, was amenable to changes being made in the rules to address the matter of lawful erection of mobile towers.The bylaws have already been adopted by Delhi Development Authority and New Delhi Municipal Council for implementation in areas and on land under their jurisdiction.
After it received the bylaws, the state government raised concerns over the regulations not addressing the issue of mobile towers put up illegally on buildings. MoUD is learnt to have taken note of the state's worries and decided to amend some portions of the bylaws, sources said.
It is learnt that the ministry also discussed the issue of mobile towers with the union ministry of telecommunication.
Delhi government sources confirmed that the proposed amendments were recei ved by the office of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia around three days ago.The government has scheduled a meeting on Monday to discuss the proposed changes. The meeting to be chaired by Sisodia is likely to be attended by health minister Satyendar Jain, chief secretary KK Sharma and senior officials. The municipal corporations will also be consulted.The government hopes to approve and adopt the bylaws before the June deadline set by the Delhi high court for the implementation of the new bylaws.
The Delhi government fe els that with mobile phone usage rising by the day , regulations for the construction of mobile towers are critical and need to form part of the new bylaws. The problem of illegal mobile towers first emerged when mobile use started increasing in massive numbers. Despite the norms set out by the municipal corporations for grant of licence for putting up mobile towers, Delhi residents have complained time and again of illegally constructed towers.
The health hazards and structural safety of the buildings on which they were erected became talking points, forcing the civic bodies to come out with rules that denied any mobile towers in residential areas. They can only be put up on commercial buildings and spaces.
DDA and MoUD notified the Unified Building Bylaws, 2016 on March 22. The bylaws were framed by DDA in consultation with the Delhi Urban Arts Commisson, civic bodies, fire dept and other departments concerned.
While DDA and NDMC have adopted the bylaws, the municipal corporations are awaiting the approval of the Delhi government. These bylaws replace the 1983 building bylaws.