Protest against mobile tower near school

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Protesting against the decision of the grama panchayat to allow yet another mobile tower within a one-km radius of St Andrews Jyothinilayam School, local people in Kadinamkulam staged a dharna on Monday.The protest, organised by the action council  formed in this regard on the premises of St Andrews Church, was led by its chairman Ernest Gomez and inaugurated by retired headmaster Isaac Lopez.According to the action council members, it was by flouting all norms that the panchayat had decided to give approval to set up another mobile tower within a one-km radius of the school. The leaders said that the application for setting up the tower was okayed the same day it was submitted, which should be probed. The move of the panchayat secretary in this regard was dubious, they alleged."Since the tower is to come up near the school, the students are open to the threat of radiation,’’ the action council members said. They said that a child has to face the radiation for nearly seven hours a day, which could affect his/her health."Studies have found that existence of mobile towers nearby causes emission of harmful radiations which are bad for health,’’ they said.The dharna on Monday was attended by hundreds of local people, parents and church authorities, who asked the panchayat council to backtrack from its decision. A 15-member action council was also elected to take forward the strike and protest.