DoT conducts EMF radiation awareness session at KVK in A&N Islands

Port Blair, Apr 26: Telecommunication services are playing an extremely important role in our economy and more so during pandemics/ disaster situations. During the Covid-19 pandemic, telecom services played a major role in maintaining not only the continuity and the functioning of administrative machinery but also economic and industrial activities apart from facilitating work from home, education, news, entertainment, social networking, availing online services of A&N Administration such as state government portal, health, education, electricity, employment and keeping the friends and families connected.
The need for telecom services has gone up in an unprecedented manner in recent times. There is an immediate need for faster expansion of telecom infrastructure in the A&N Islands. This calls for speedy deployment of towers to expand the coverage. DOT has planned to provide 4G mobile coverage by installing 128 towers for covering 85 uncovered villages and along NH-04 in A&N islands.
However, due to misconceptions and misinformation, the public at some locations is apprehensive whenever a tower is proposed in the vicinity of a residence, etc.
DOT A&N team conducted an EMF awareness session on 26th April 2022 at KrishiVigyan Kendra (KVK), ShippiGhat, Port Blair to create awareness and dispel myths concerning EMF emissions from mobile towers among farmers group of KVK.
The session was inaugurated by Mr. K P Mohan, Deputy Director General, DOT and attended by officers from KVK and farmers group members.
A presentation was given by Mr. Atul Kumar, Kareliya Director, Telecom DOT, it was informed that the GoI has adopted stringent norms by adopting 1/10th of the prescribed International EMF radiation limit.
DOT has also created a mechanism to ensure that radiation limits from telecom towers are maintained by all telecom service providers (TSPs) within limits.
All TSPs have to give periodic self-certificates to this effect and DoT field offices were mandated to audit 10% of BTS every year. Further, it was informed that so far DoT A&N has tested 361 out of 744 BTS till 26th April 2022 in Andaman and Nicobar UT and found radiation levels for all tested towers are well within the permissible radiation level.
Apart from this, DoT has created a portal WWW.tarangsanchar.gov.in wherein there is a provision for the General Public to see the radiation level of towers in their vicinity by entering their area postal PIN code.
Considering the mobile expansion plan for the introduction of 5G, the number of towers is to be increased from 329 to 500 plus within the next 2 years.
Therefore, DoT A&N Port Blair hereby requests co-operation among every stakeholder including the general public to shed all misconceptions about mobile tower radiation and come forward to extend all possible support for a faster rollout of telecom infrastructure to meet the unprecedented demand for telecom services and thereby improve quality of telecom service in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

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