If you’ve used the EM Bypass of late you’ll have noticed a giant grey coconut tree towering over the water body near Chingrihata. Well, it’s not a tree, it’s a mobile tower and the first of its kind in the city! 

The camouflaged tower is outside the Eco Aquatic Hub of Captain Bheri, the water body that appears on the left after you have crossed Chingrihata en route to Science City. It is 80ft high, has a metallic trunk and leaves, and is an experimental mobile and internet tower.

Another such “tree” has been erected at the end of the water body opposite the Godrej waterside near the Sector V fire station last week.

“Mobile network coverage in this area used to be poor but we didn’t want to ruin the natural beauty of the scenery by installing a mobile tower,” said an officer of the State Fisheries Development Corporation (SFDC), that maintains Captain Bheri. “That’s when a tower-making company approached us with this creative design. They said this would be their first such tower in the city.”

The 30-acre bheri is part of the East Calcutta Wetlands and was renovated in 2014 to be a tourist and picnic destination. It has cottages, boating facilities etc. It also has solar panels in an attempt to reduce dependence on conventional energy sources. The first coconut tree towers came up in October and SFDC is considering erecting similar towers in their other properties across the state. 

Other than coconut tree, what shape can be given to mobile towers? 
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