PESHAWAR: A citizen has moved the Peshawar High Court against installation of a mobile phone tower in a park here at Defence Officers Colony, terming it a health hazard for residents of the area.

Dr Khalid Shah, a resident of the Defence Colony, filed a petition requesting the court to declare as illegal and unconstitutional the installation of the cellular phone tower at Defence Park, which was near his home.

He requested the court to also restrain the cellular phone companies from installing their phone towers/base transceiver stations in residential areas and near schools and parks.

The petitioner also sought interim relief from the court requesting that till final disposal of his petition the company should be restrained from installing the tower in the said park.

The writ petition is filed through Advocate Saifullah Muhib Kakakhel.

The respondents in the petition include Pakistan Telecommunication Authority through its chairman, Peshawar Cantonment Board’s executive officer, Zong CMPak Limited through its regional manager and Environmental Protection Agency through its secretary.

The petitioner pleaded that these network cellular towers transmitted microwaves and other hazardous emissions, which were dangerous to living beings and could cause diseases like cancer, headache, dizziness, etc.

He stated that the setup of a cellular phone tower would disturb the serenity of one of the few remaining parks of Peshawar due to its harmful impact on humans and plants along with the noise pollution of the generator and machinery of these towers.

He stated that there were international guidelines issued by International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection in 1998 for installation of cell towers and in furtherance of those the guidelines were issued nationally, which both say the cell towers be placed in safe distance (specified in the guidelines) from residential houses, public places and schools.

The petitioner claimed that recently the EPA had prepared Guidelines for Installations of Base Transceiver Station (BTS) Sites, but those were not being complied with in the instant case.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2021