MARGAO
At the gram sabha chaired by Sarpanch Sandra D’Costa, oncologist Dr Chinnababu had to face a barrage of queries about the safety of mobile towers when the members sought a categorical assurance in writing that mobile tower radiation does not cause brain cancer.
Goa State Pollution Control Board officials also faced queries about the details of the proposed cell sites in Carmona or the information of data compiled by the board about tower radiation in Carmona and neighbouring villages.
Villagers pointed out to a report in the media how the Board can outsource the process of radiation to a third party. They could not submit any info about any ‘Consent to Operate” being granted to any tower companies in the village.
However, the officials informed that as per “guidelines for installing mobile towers” NOC from the local bodies is mandatory.
Villagers passed a resolution not to allow any tower in residential areas but also suggested that in view of the BRICS summit, temporary towers on trucks similar to the ones used during DefExpo 2016 can be used and that any new proposal for permanent tower be referred to the panchayat and gram sabha for discussion.
