SDMC plans special task force to seal illegal mobile towers

South Delhi Municipal Corporation, finding it hard to check the burgeoning growth of illegal mobile phone towers in areas under its jurisdiction is considering forming a special task force to effectively seal such towers whose number is believed to have shot up to around 3,000.

“We have been considering forming a special task force to curb the menace of illegal mobile phone towers in various parts of South Delhi and it will come up after a meeting with officials concerned on Monday,” said Shailendra Singh, chairman of the standing committee of SDMC.

The objective is to seal the towers, especially those in densely populated residential areas and villages where they are installed flouting the norms and where local resistance is against them is high, he said.

The sealing process currently used by the civic body is not very effective as only one or two wires are cut and the towers continue to function uninterrupted. According to Singh, proposed task force will ensure that they are sealed in such a manner that they stop working completely.

As per SDMC figures, the total number of towers in areas under its jurisdiction is around 3,200 out of which around 1,600 have been installed illegally.

Singh said details have been sought from the officials as it was pointed out during a recent meeting of the standing committee that the number of towers has gone up to around 6,000, with illegally erected structures comprising half of them.