08 May,2017 11:05 AM IST | Mumbai | Gaurav Sarkar
Despite a High Court order that asked for the removal of the 29 cell phone towers at Hotel Supreme in Cuffe Parade, which was partially complied with, new towers seem to have come up there
The cell towers that are being erected as of May 8
The saga over cell towers and Hotel Supreme in Cuffe Parade seems to be never ending. Just months after the High Court instructed the civic body to remove the 29 cell towers that were allegedly causing health hazards to residents, the towers are springing to life again.
But, on March 5, there seems to have been a reversal in the status, as Gaurav Bhatia, a resident of the adjoining Clover Apartments looked out his window to see that the number of towers and antenna had doubled. In fact, yesterday, more construction work seemed to be underway and workers were spotted on the site.
Workers could be seen installing cell towers on the hotel roof on May 8
"I wrote to the ward assistant municipal commissioner that very day," said Bhatia, adding, "They (BMC) had removed these towers and there were only 7 left. But now there are over 15. Today (Sunday), they are installing a whole new tower and two antennae on top of it in front of me right now."
However, Mumbai-based activist Prakash Munshi raised another point. He said, "I don't know how they can reinstall towers that have already been removed. We also do not know whether these towers are being erected with municipal permission. As I see it, the main question that arises is: Have the municipal authorities granted fresh permission to re-erect the towers that were once removed since the HC stay order is applicable only for the old towers and not new ones."
Also read - Mumbai: Radiation heat still on Cuffe Parade residents
Meanwhile when contacted, Prakash Das from Hotel Supreme said, "As far as I know, there was no work being carried out on the terrace today." Attempts to reach the assistant municipal commissioner yielded no results.
Cell tower taller than surrounding towers
As per the department of telecommunications, no cell tower can be shorter than the top of a building/structure right in front of it. However, all three buildings surrounding the hotel - Clover Apartments, Kalpavruksh and Mittal Grandeur - are taller than the towers.
Workers could be seen installing cell towers on the hotel roof on May 8
15
Cell phone towers that seem to have popped up atop Hotel Supreme
