Mobile services in Noida remained badly crippled for the second day running as the authorities launched a crackdown on “illegal” mobile towers. Already 193 of 576 towers have been sealed, leading to mobile phones going on the blink, especially in residential sectors 29-35 and industrial sectors 2-12.

What’s more, a similar crackdown has started in Delhi. Already, 40 mobile towers have been sealed in the city and more “illegal” towers are in MCD’s crosshairs. Delhi has 4,532 mobile towers, out of which MCD reckons 2,517 towers are illegal. So, if these are sealed, mobile phone services in the city will be very badly hit.

The faceoff between the authorities and mobile service providers could escalate as neither side is backing down. While Noida authorities as well as MCD are insisting on the towers meeting all norms, which they claim many don’t, the service providers’ body, COAI, is maintaining that since regulator, TRAI, is all set to come out with a consultation paper on tower installation, status quo should be maintained.

Meanwhile, mobile phone users are feeling the heat. Said Rahul Sinha, a resident of Noida sector 11: “People are helpless without their mobile phones. It’s for many their connection with the world. We have a wedding in our house on February 16, but with no network coverage, we were unable to plan anything.” Similar sentiments were echoed by many more residents.

In Delhi, MCD commissioner K S Mehra said that action against all illegal towers will follow. When asked about illegal towers, a COAI spokesman said, “There are no illegal towers in Delhi. What MCD is calling illegal are applications filed by service providers that are pending with MCD.” In short, the two positions are at variance, indicating a prolonged confrontation, unless higher authorities step in.

Both MCD and Noida authorities want all cellphone towers to have structural stability certificates, an NOC from resident welfare associations, design approval from experts, clearance from the pollution board, fire department and a security fee of Rs 1 lakh per tower. Above all, they want the towers to be moved out of residential areas to commercial areas, government buildings and community service buildings like `baraat ghars’.

At present, most towers are in residential areas. Relocating them is bound to create a major dislocation of service, unless the whole operation is undertaken jointly by authorities and service providers.

MCD has already set up a sub-committee, headed by councillor Meera Agarwal, which is holding talks with RWAs. It has also written to the World Health Organisation to ascertain the health risk posed by the towers. It’s said the towers don’t just pollute when run on gensets, but also radiate waves that could be harmful. WHO has said that it still has no data to reach any conclusion on health risks.

Source: TOI

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Taking it a step further is an upcoming 24-hour channel, Youth TV, which will allow students to blog, chat, and even make their videos, besides regular dose of tutoring.
The channel is an initiative of the privately owned Amity University, Noida, and is the first foray by a university in the entertainment media segment.

Slated for launch in the next six to eight months with an investment of Rs 100 crore over the next three to five years, Youth TV, its promoters say, will not only air education programmes but also help students select the right courses. Alongside, a dedicated portal would serve as a platform for students to post videos for sharing, blog on issues close to their hearts, and even chat.

“Youths today are very media-savvy (so) this would be the convergence of television, Internet and mobile technology,” channel CEO Aseem Chauhan said. “While television has constraints of being one way, the combination of different forms of media will make education much more interactive.”

The channel will compete with Gyan Darshan and Vyas, both part of the Doordarshan network. While both are 24-hour education networks, they continue to suffer from low viewership — Vyas is broadcast for undergraduate students; Gyan Darshan has been allotted fixed slots on DD and airs programmes for school and college students.

Youth TV comes seven years after Zee TV’s education network Zed TV was shut down. But what makes Chauhan optimistic about the sustainability of the initiative is that the Youth TV will involve the 45,000-strong community of university students as educators in the project. “We will initially begin with a core group of professionals who can guide the students,” Chauhan said. “But the large part of our team would constitute of students.”

“Since we are in education sector, we know the pulse of the youth. Our content will find resonance in the young generation.”

The university’s Noida campus already has part of the infrastructure, set up for its various courses in journalism, mass communication and cinematography.

Chauhan said while advertisements would be one of the major means of revenue generation, online courses and distance-learning programmes would also sustain the channel.