Manoj Sinha said limits for radiation emissions in India are more stringent than global norms.
Brushing aside the growing concerns over the emanating electromagnetic radiations from cellular towers, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha today said studies so far have not revealed any health hazards. The minister further emphasised that prescribed limits for radiation emissions in India are more stringent than global norms.
The comments come in the wake of a report that the Supreme Court has ordered shutting down of a BSNL mobile tower in Gwalior on the plea of a 42-year-old cancer patient, Harish Chand Tiwari, who had been working in Gwalior's Dal Baazar area as a domestic helper.
The order is expected to intensify ongoing deliberations on the impact of radiation from mobile phone towers on health.
Earlier, during the UPA government rule in 2012, Department of Telecommunications (DoT) set up a 13-member committee that has denounced any alarming situation with regards to possible ill effects on human health by cell phone towers.
With the help of radiofrequency (RF) waves, having its presence in electromagnetic spectrum, cell phones calling system becomes operational.
According to the American cancer society (ACS), a research body on cancer and its causes, RF waves are a form of non-ionizing radiation. This makes it directly non-damaging to DNA inside cells, making it to be not a serious cancer threat. The energy level of radiofrequency (RF) waves is relatively low as cell phone towers are at least 50 to 200 feet from ground.
In its article on cellular phone towers, ACS points to the fact that, at this time, there is 'very little evidence' to support this idea of cellular towers being a cause to cancer.
Speaking on the sidelines of an event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry, Mr Sinha also added that call drops situation had improved significantly in the last few months.
(With inputs from PTI)