In the coastal areas of Goa, a few cellphone towers are installed on top of 30“45-year-old residential buildings. Often, no structural audit is done, nor are statutory permissions obtained for these installations. In rural and semi-urban areas, telecom companies pay between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 20,000 per month as rent, which is a regular passive income for building societies. But the moot point here is that these buildings have not been designed for such heavy loads. There is a clear and present danger to the residents. What if the building buckles under the load or a cyclone brings down the tower itself? Many lives could be lost. There is also the question of harmful microwave radiation being emitted from these antennas. The government should put a stop to this. Instead, a central location for towers should be identified in each village, and the income so generated should devolve to the panchayats.
