UT Admin to penalise mobile operators

City has over 300 illegal towers; notices already served on violators

Chandigarh, April 10

The UT Administration has now decided to impose penalties on mobile operators who had installed illegal mobile towers in the city. Earlier, the Administration had only issued notices to owners of residential and commercial buildings for violation of building bylaws but now mobile operators will face the music.

At present, there are more than 300 illegal mobile towers in the city.

A senior official of the UT Administration said they would soon issue notices to the mobile operators. Regarding the amount of penalty, he added that they would soon hold a meeting with the Estate Office officials to decide the amount.

But the official added that they were also mulling over allowing installation of mobile towers in residential areas of a few sectors where there was no commercial space available to install mobile towers. Recently, the administration had also issued directions to the architecture department to prepare a road map for the installation of mobile phone towers in the city.

Recently, the UT Estate Office had issued notices to the owners of residential and commercial buildings for violation of the building bylaws. Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner, Brijendra Singh, in his report submitted to UT Finance Secretary VK Singh had pointed out that more than 300 mobile phone towers in the city were illegal.

The UT Administration had asked for the report after receiving directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court that it should notify its policy on mobile phone towers in the residential areas in two months.

The High Court had made it clear that it wanted these towers to be shifted out of the residential areas in a phased manner.

Sources in the Estate Office said there were 547 mobile phone towers in the city out of which around 300 were operating illegally. The Estate Office had conducted a survey in which it came to light that a majority of these towers were installed in violation of the building bylaws.

• Official of the Estate Office said they were also mulling over allowing installation of mobile towers in residential areas of a few sectors where there was no commercial space available to install mobile towers.
• Recently, the administration had also issued directions to the architecture department to prepare a road map for the purpose.