SDMC identifies 1200 illegal mobile towers in its jurisdiction

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation SDMC has identified nearly 1200 illegal mobile towers in its jurisdiction and has warned of strict action against property owners and telecom companies for such installations without taking permission from the civic body, officials said on Friday.According to SDMC officials, the civic body has slapped heavy fines against such illegal installations.

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has identified nearly 1200 illegal mobile towers in its jurisdiction and has warned of strict action against property owners and telecom companies for such installations without taking permission from the civic body, officials said on Friday.

According to SDMC officials, the civic body has slapped heavy fines against such illegal installations. SDMC officials said that the number of illegal mobile towers was ascertained during an ongoing survey to identify such installations after many complaints from residents regarding the burgeoning number of mobile towers even in inner colonies. SDMC Mayor Mukesh Suryan said that no illegal mobile tower will be spared and huge fines will be levied against any such installation which is done without the municipality's approval.

“In our ongoing survey so far we have identified 1,190 illegal mobile towers. These towers were set up without seeking any permission from the SDMC. We will impose huge penalties against them. We have already slapped fines against 390 illegal towers and will slap fines on other 800 such installations,” Suryan told PTI.

The mayor said that these fines are issued not only against the telecom company or the contractor but also against the owner of the property.

He said all the parties are equally responsible for such illegal activities because it is also the responsibility of the owner of the building to inform the municipality about the installation. “The penalty amount will be recovered in retrospective manner from violators,” the Mayor said.

Civic officials said that it is mandatory to seek permission from the civic body before installing mobile towers in any area. The mayor said that the issue of illegal mobile towers was brought to his notice a few months back by councilors as well as the general public so a special House meeting was convened in August first week to address issues related to mobile towers. In the House meeting, the mayor had directed civic officials to start a survey to identify mobile towers running illegally in SDMC areas. The fine being imposed in connection with illegal mobile towers goes up to lakhs. It varies for every property depending upon the period of installation and the area. No illegal mobile tower will be spared and concerned people will have to pay a penalty, Suryan said. He, however, could not divulge the details about the amount of revenue collected in the drive.

Officials of the SDMC's Remunerative Cell said that the action will not only regulate the installation and operation of mobile towers in south Delhi but also boost the municipality's revenue. “The civic body is going through a fund crunch so imposing penalty on illegally running mobile towers will strengthen municipality's coffers,” an official said.

Earlier this week, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation had also issued a direction to put on hold the installation of new 'cellular on wheels mobile towers' in its areas and review already identified sites after people complained that many were located in inner colonies or small parks. 

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)