The High Court yesterday directed the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to formulate a guideline on the operation of cell phone towers in the country in order to stop its radiation harmful to public health.
During hearing a writ petition, the court asked the BTRC chairman to submit a report before it after complying with the directive in eight weeks.
The HC also gave three months' time to the health ministry to obtain separate assessment reports from three international organisations about public health risk from radiation emitted by mobile phone towers set up in different areas across the country.
The organisations are World Health Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency, and International Commission of Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, petitioner's lawyer Advocate Manzill Murshid told The Daily Star.
He said the health ministry yesterday informed the HC that it had communicated the three international organisations for collecting the assessment reports as per its earlier order and also sought three months' time from the HC to collect the reports.
The bench of Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and Justice Md Salim allowed the health ministry's time prayer, Advocate Manzill added.
On March 22, the health ministry submitted an expert committee's report to the HC saying that radiation from a carrier's cell tower was found over the limit set by a WHO guideline.
According to the WHO, excessive radiation from cell towers harms public health and the environment.
Following the writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh, the HC on October, 2012, ordered the government to examine, by forming an expert committee, the radiation emitted from mobile phone towers and its impact on health and environment, and submit a report.
The court also issued a rule upon the officials concerned of the government to explain as to why they should not be directed to stop radiation from cell towers.
Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/city/formulate-guideline-cell-tower-operation-1390054