GHMC told to ensure cell tower safety

By S A Ishaqui

Hyderabad,July 21: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday directed the commissioner and special officer of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to give a personal undertaking by Monday that the corporation will remove all unsafe and unstable cellphone towers in its limits within three months.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Anil R. Dave and Justice Ramesh Ranganathan was dealing with a contempt petition filed by Ms Varalakshimi, a resident of Kapra in the city complaining that the GHMC authorities failed to remove the unsafe cellphone towers in the city. The HC had earlier directed the corporation to identify unsafe cellphone towers erected on roof tops of buildings in the corporation limits.
The court passed the order in December 2007 giving two months time to the corporation directing it that “the exercise of verification shall be completed within two months from the date of receipt of a copy of the order and in case any such structure is found to endanger the building or the lives of its residents, action shall be taken in accordance with law to have such structures removed within four weeks thereafter.”
However, the corporation requested the court to extend the time for two months in April 2009 and the court permitted it to complete the exercise. The extension period also expired by the end of May.
When the petition came up for hearing before the bench, the judges expressed their dissatisfaction over the attitude of the corporation saying: “Already 14 months have elapsed after this court passed an order to remove unsafe towers. However, the corporation did not make any serious efforts in this regard. The counter affidavit which is filed by the GHMC also looks like a diary and there were no details about the unsafe towers in the counter.”
The judges said they will not grant any further extension in this case, and they will issue contempt proceedings against the commissioner and the concerned authorities.
Mr Ramachandra Reddy, counsel for the GHMC told the court that the process will take four months to complete. He said they have outsourced the exercise for speedy completion as the corporation did not have the manpower and equipment to conduct Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity test and Rebound Hammer Test to establish the structural safety of the building and the tower.
The HC said: “If the commissioner will give a personal undertaking by Monday, then it will think of granting three months time to the GHMC to complete the job.”