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News for Bangladesh
| High Court orders removal of mobile towers from sensitive areas | |
| Bangladesh | Created: 14 Feb 2020 |
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Asks BTRC to monitor and control radiation level. The High Court Division in a full verdict in the case of mobile tower radiation effect has issued 12-point directives including imposition of a ban on installation of mobile or telecommunication towers on the rooftops of residential area, educational institutions, hospitals, jail premises, heritage sites, playgrounds and places of worship. The court in the full verdict released on Tuesday, also directed the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to remove all existing mobile or telecommunication towers from the potentially high-risk areas with substantial population density. On April 26, a bench of Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir in a short verdict declared as ‘illegal’ installation of mobile or telecommunication towers on the rooftops of residential areas, offices by six mobile operators. The court had delivered the verdict after hearing a public interest writ petition of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh. The full verdict also directed Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to limit emission of radiation at the level as prescribed by International Commission on Non-ionising Radiation Protection. The court also directed Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to explain to it any impediments and constrains on the availability, acquisition and installation of instruments to ensure that the magnetic fields remained at certain acceptable frequencies. The court directed the telecommunication regulatory commission to submit to it a ‘feasibility report’ within four months. On April 26, Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh filed the writ petition as public interest litigation with the High Court seeking its directives following a media report on the detrimental effects of the mobile towers installed on the roofs of residential buildings and offices. Earlier, the health ministry’s committee of experts found that radiation emitting from a mobile phone company’s tower was excessive and as such was posing threats to the public health as well as the environment. The health ministry had submitted its report in compliance with the directive the court had issued in October 2012. The report of the health ministry’s committee of experts prepared in 2013 had recommended that Telecommunication Regulatory Commission should bring the rate of radiation emitting from the mobile phone towers under its regular monitoring. It had also recommended framing of the guidelines by the telecommunication regulatory commission to regulate radiation from mobile phone company towers. According to the report, health ministry’s committee of experts examined radiation emission from 18 towers of six mobile phone companies at Motijheel, Gulshan and Mirpur in the capital. Supreme Court lawyer Manzill Murshid appeared for Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh, while Reza-E-Rakib for the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission and deputy attorney general Kazi Zinat Haq for the health ministry. |
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| Click here to view the source article. | |
| Source: NewAge Bangladesh, 17 Oct 2019 | |
| High Court asks BTRC for report on mobile tower radiation | |
| Bangladesh | Created: 28 Apr 2019 |
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The court has also asked to remove mobile phone towers from roofs. The High Court has directed Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to submit a report within four months on the impact of radiation from mobile phone towers on the human body and the environment. A bench comprising Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir issued the directive on Thursday in response to a writ petition filed on October 18, 2012, by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) - a rights organization - seeking the court’s order to prevent radiation from mobile-phone towers. The bench also issued eleven directives to protect people, trees, and animals from harmful radiation from the mobile phone towers. The 11 directives are: to make mobile tower radiation according to standards; not to install more mobile phone towers and also remove towers from rooftops of houses, school, colleges, hospitals, clinics, jails, fields, residential areas, heritage and archaeological sites; to take security measures to control radiation; formulate rules in acquiring land to install mobile phone towers; make the BTRC and license owners independently measure radiation in compliance with ITU and IEC codes; replace over-radiated towers with new ones; make the BTRC take responsibility for tower verification and monitoring tests; form a BTRC cell to monitor threats against health; and have the BTRC form an alternative dispute resolution committee and the license owners submit reports every six months. Secretaries to the Ministry of Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Environment, and the chairmen of BTRC and Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission have been made respondents to the ruling.In response to the petition, filed by HRPB annexing newspaper reports on harmful mobile radiation, the HC on October 30, 2012 ordered the government to examine the level of emission from mobile phone towers and assess its effect on health and environment, and submit two separate reports to it. Why directives should not be given to take effective steps to control radiation from mobile phone towers installed all over the country, the court asked. The court also sought reports on radiation measures from the Atomic Energy Commission and told the health ministry to form an expert committee to prepare its report about health threats from radiation. On February 26, 2017, the HRPB filed an appeal with the HC, which ordered the health ministry to collect reports on the harmful impact of mobile tower radiation on the human body as soon as possible. Advocate Manzil Murshid represented the petitioner, Khandaker Reza-E-Rakib represented BTRC, and Deputy Attorney General Zinat Haque represented the state. |
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| Click here to view the source article. | |
| Source: Dhaka Tribune, Mizanur Rahman, 25 Apr 2019 | |
| Mobile tower radiation: HC set to deliver verdict April 23 | |
| Bangladesh | Created: 7 Apr 2019 |
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The High Court will deliver a verdict on April 23 on a seven-year-old writ petition that sought its directive on the government to stop radiation from mobile-phone towers. The bench of Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir fixed the date for passing the verdict after concluding hearing arguments on the petition on March 10. Rights organisation Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) filed the petition as public-interest- litigation with the HC on October 29, 2012 following a report broadcast by Ekushey Television on October 18 that year which said equipment in mobile-phone towers emit radiation that is harmful to the human body. In response to the petition, the HC on October 30, 2012 ordered the government to examine the level of emission from mobile-phone towers, assess its effect on health and environment, and submit two separate reports to it. It also issued a rule upon the government officials concerned to explain why they should not be directed to stop radiation emission from mobile-phone towers set up across the country. During a hearing on the petition, the health ministry submitted an expert committee’s report to the HC on March 22, 2017 saying that radiation from a carrier’s cell tower was found over the limit set by a World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline. According to the WHO, excessive radiation from cell towers harms public health and damages the environment. The expert committee recommended that Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission take steps to reduce the excessive radiation from the Base Transceiver Stations [mobile towers] set up by the six mobile phone operators across the country. There are reportedly 35,000 telecom towers in Bangladesh and all of them are run by mobile phone operators. Advocate Manzill Murshid argued for the writ petitioner, while Barrister Khandaker Reza-E-Raquib appeared for BTRC and Deputy Attorney General Kazi Zinat Hoque represented the state. |
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| Click here to view the source article. | |
| Source: The Daily Star, Star Online Report, 05 Apr 2019 | |
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