PHC bans mobile towers in residential areas

PESHAWAR - Peshawar High Court banned installation of towers of mobile companies in residential areas and asked provincial government not to issue No Objection Certificate to the companies due to hazardous impacts of electromagnetic waves on the population. 

The petition was filed by Noor Alam resident of Peshawar contending the court to ban the towers in all residential areas and shift the existing towers to non-residential areas. The petitioner said that these towers were also installed on various building in congested localities, which discharge radiation with high frequency.

Hearing the petition, Justice Qaisar Rasheed and Justice Ashtiaq Ibrahim asked the attorney general and advocate general to stop issuing NoC to the mobile companies owing its dangerous radiation emitting from towers.

Most of the mobile towers are located in densly populated areas and also near schools, which may cause cancer and other related diseases.

The petitioner urged to the court to direct the government to implement zoning laws made for environment protection and ensure the measures taken under international laws, guidelines and policies for protection from radiations, and issue directions to prevent the installation of towers in residential areas.

PROBE BODY ON UOP INCIDENT MEETS

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights Sultan Muhammad Khan said on Thursday that the Parliamentary Committee probing into the October 4 incident at the University of Peshawar (UoP) would have all the stakeholders to make its recommendations.

He was speaking at the second meeting of the parliamentary committee formed on the directives of Chief Minister to probe the October 4 incident. The committee had summoned University of Peshawar Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asif Khan, Registrar Dr Zahid Gul, Deputy Registrar Noorzada, Provost Saifullah Khan, Director Administration Gohar Rahman Jadon, Director Vice Chancellor Secretariat Prof Dr Ureed Ihsan, Chief Proctor Prof Nadeem Azam and Media Officer Ali Imran Bangash.

On the occasion, members of the parliamentary committee including its chairman Sultan Muhammad Khan, Nighat Orakzai, Arif Ahmadzai, Khaliq-ur-Rahman and Higher Education Department Secretary Manzoor Ahmad and Sultan Muhammad assured the UoP officials that the committee would thoroughly look into their problems so that the issues being faced by the university could be resolved.

He also urged the UoP administration to cooperate with the students and take steps to facilitate them as they were the real stakeholders. The UoP delegation informed committee that efforts should be made to facilitate the student. The probe body was informed that the university was facing financial problems. The minister urged the UoP administration that they should follow the relevant rules and regulations in letter and spirit.

A delegation of UoP students appeared before the committee and informed it of their issues. The committee will submit its recommendation to the Chief Minister within 15 days.

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