BackThe Provincial Ombudsman Sindh, Asad Ashraf Malik ordered Sindh Building Control Authority to remove a mobile phone booster antenna from a residential building to avoid health hazard to citizens and ensure compliance to law forbidding installation of antenna within 300 meters of a residential area.
He issued the order following investigation in a complaint filed against Sindh Building Control Authority by a resident of a locality where mobile phone booster was unauthorizedly installed.
In his decision the Ombudsman said that installation of cellular antenna nearer to residential premises was a serious health hazard due to radiation and also constituted violation of policy guidelines issued by the government in this behalf. The guidelines required installation of Base Trans-Receiver Station Towers (BTR) / antenna after fulfilling a number of laid down conditionalties which included obtaining of NOC for that particular location from Aviation Authority and Environment Protection Agency.
The judgment given by the Ombudsman, beside addressing the problem raised in the particular complaint will provide guideline to companies in the telecommunication business and create awareness in the masses about the importance of health safety measures and risk involved in installing such appliances closer to residential area.
Source: Office of the Provincial Ombudsman Sindh, Pakistan
