Delhi's unauthorised cell phone towers to be sealed

NEW DELHI, INDIA: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will seal illegal cell phone towers within its administrative jurisdiction, an official said on Tuesday.

As per the new cell phone tower policy of the MCD, the mobile operators who had erected towers illegally were given one month’s time to get them regularised.

The deadline for cell phone tower operators to apply for regularlisation expired last week.

Spokesperson of the MCD Deep Mathur said : "The civic agency is planning to target the towers whose owners have not applied for regularisation."

"The sealing action is likely to start in two days, but it might be delayed further as the availability of police force which will escort the sealing teams during the drive is yet to be confirmed," he added.

A meeting will be held Wednesday where the city mayor and members of the operators' association will discuss issues and demands of operators, who are seeking regularisation but are opposed to the hiked installation charges.

There are 5,364 cell phone towers within the MCD’s jurisdiction. Of these 2,412 cell phone towers have been erected with permission from the MCD. The number of cell phone towers erected without MCD permission is 2,952. The MCD has already issued show cause notices to 1,532 cell phone tower operators.

The MCD has already sealed about 300 cell phone towers in the past few months.