No network at home : MHADA residents want cell towers

Even as NGOs and citizens campaign to remove mobile phone towers from rooftops of residential apartments and schools, the housing body is considering a demand from owners of 162 MHADA flats to rectify weak mobile connectivity and lack of network inside MHADA colonies

Every coin has two sides. So while a large number of citizens are up in arms to ensure cellular companies do not put up towers on schools or on top of residential buildings, several other residents who stay in Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) homes, are complaing about weak mobile networks at home and resultant call drops.

Now, tired of receiving these complaints, the housing authority has given permission to a private company to carry out a technical survey of mobile networks in MHADA buildings with an aimto improve the mobile network connectivity in these houses. Several residents of old and new MHADA colonies have recentlycomplained about call drop, call disconnection and no networkin their houses. Speaking to Sunday MiD DAY, Vipul Mane a resident of a MHADA colony at Dindoshi said, “I have been staying in this colony for more than 25 years but the problem, which irritates me a lot, is the unavailability of mobile network because of which every time I have to go out of my house to make or receive calls.”

Other MHADA colonies, which have been facing similar mobile network problems include ones at SVP Nagar (Andheri), and new MHADA colonies at Lokhandwala, Sion Partiksha Nagar, Ekta Nagar Kandivli and Malvani.

Speaking to SMD, a MHADA official said, “A private company has come forward and we have given them the go ahead to conduct a technical survey of the mobile network coverage at various MHADA colonies across Mumbai. Once the survey is complete, a decision regarding the installation of new mobile towers will be taken.”

The private firm will be carrying out the survey at 162 MHADA colonies across Mumbai. A decision to install mobile towers at some of these locations will depend on permission from other agencies too.

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