Berhampur, June 25: Many mobile towers of various cellular operators have been illegally put up atop multi-storey houses across the city, violating rules prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“We have detected 127 mobile towers illegally put up in the city and asked the power distribution company Southco to snap power supply to the towers,” said Ajit Kumar Mishra, commissioner of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation.

It is illegal to install cellular towers in residential areas without taking formal consent from local people and 127 mobile towers do not have the residents’ no-objection certificates. The buildings’ condition is also not taken into consideration before setting up the towers. Moreover, no tower should be installed near any electricity installation or high power transmission wire. The department of telecommunications prohibits installation of base transceiver station (BTS) near schools and hospitals, Mishra said.

A tower at Bijipur had collapsed six months ago and damaged a house. The house owner had permitted it on rooftop on rent that varies from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 a month, sources said.

However, engineer Sanjib Mohan Palo of the Co-operative Colony opposed the move. “Being exposed to a mobile tower located within 50m of your home or workplace is like being in a microwave oven for 24 hours,” said Palo.

“The International Agency for Research on Cancer of WHO said radiation from cell phone handsets and towers was ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’ and might cause glioma, a type of brain cancer. Towers are more dangerous than handsets because they emit radiation of greater intensity,” he said.

“WHO has prescribed norms on emission of radiation by telecom towers and we must follow it strictly,” he said.

The department of telecommunications had revised radiation limit or electromagnetic frequency to 450mW per square metre since May 2012, which is 10 per cent of the current levels, and prohibits installation of the BTS near schools and hospitals, he said quoting the reports.