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West Bengal bans use of diesel generators at mobile towers

KOLKATA: The West Bengal Government has issued a notification banning installation and operation of diesel generators at mobile towers in order to curb air and noise pollution, officials of the State Environment Department said here on Friday.

“The notification was issued on November 12 as per the guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). We were advised to do so by them,” said State Environment Secretary M. L. Meena.

“Most of the mobile phone operators including Airtel, BSNL and Vodafone have already agreed to comply with its requirements at a meeting held about two months ago,” Mr. Meena said.

The move will help substantially cut down on emissions and noise pollution, especially for people in the surrounding areas, Mr. Meena said.

According to the notification, no new mobile towers can be installed at upcoming mobile towers and existing towers have been given time till May 2010 to switch over to a battery-operated or solar system.

Mobile towers install generators for their power requirements for the duration of a load-shedding or a power failure.

The notification has also been sent to the West Bengal Pollution Control Board who have been instructed to not issue any ‘Consent to Establish’ or ‘Consent to Operate’ diesel generators.

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