MAPUSA
The Parra panchayat was forced to conduct an inspection of an “illegal” mobile tower installed above the premises of a polyclinic situated in the heart of the village.
The inspection was fixed as a resident of the village, Jack Fernandes, had written to the panchayat of the illegal construction of the mobile tower in the residential area and just above the Graca Costa Polyclinic.
“The radiation emitted by the mobile tower will invite problems and become a health hazard to people and children living in the village. Secondly, it has been erected very close to the health clinic,” Fernandes said.
He also said that he was not against a mobile tower per se, but it should be erected 400 metres away from the residential area as per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) guidelines.
“We Goans are literate and should insist on better technology like fiber optic cabling. We should all work together for the progress of our State,” he said.
The site inspection was conducted recently with police protection by Parra Sarpanch Delilah Lobo along with panchayat secretary Rui Cardozo in the presence of the complainant Jack Fernandes.
As per the procedure, the secretary will prepare the site inspection report which will be placed before the panchayat body meeting for discussion.
“The panchayat body which is the rightful authority will discuss and then take a resolution on the issue,” said a senior officer at the Block Development Office, Bardez.
The complainant expressed unhappiness with the way the inspection was conducted by the village panchayat.
“The inspection was carried out in a casual manner just for the sake of formality. The secretary took some photos of the top level of the tower. He failed to take the height of the tower and its distance from the polyclinic in the building,” Fernandes said.
He said the distance between the polyclinic and the tower was less than 50 metres as against the TRAI guidelines.
When approached for her stand in the matter, a visibly annoyed Sarpanch Delilah Lobo declined to comment.
