Remove illegal mobile towers from Delhi: Sheila Dikshit to MCD

Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit today said her government has asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to remove the illegal mobile towers across the city but told it to take all care to see that people do not face inconvenience.

"We have told them that this has to be done... but there should not be any inconvenience (to the people)," Dikshit said when asked whether all the illegal mobile towers set up by various telecom majors in the city would be removed.

The chief minister, however, said the civic agency will have to take the final call on the issue.

Chief secretary Rakesh Mehta was examining the issue and will hold talks with the civic agency to find out a solution, Dikshit said.

The MCD had yesterday said it will finalise a new policy on mobile towers by Tuesday, under which service providers operating illegal towers are likely to be given 15 days to conform to revised norms to be brought in by it.

The policy is expected to get a proper shape after a committee headed by councillor Meera Agarwal, which is looking into ways to streamline the unregulated growth of cell towers in the city, submits its report to the MCD Standing Committee.

Officials said there are some 2,517 cellphone towers in the city set up without taking permission from the MCD.

A crackdown on illegal cell towers in neighbouring Noida had led to sealing of a large number of such structures after which subscribers have experienced network problems.