Day after PM Modi's call drop problem, telecom officials asked to set up more mobile towers

New Delhi: A day after reports on Prime Minister Narendra Modi facing a call drop problem, Union Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha directed his officials to speed up setting up more towers across the country.

Admitting that fewer towers were a critical factor in the call drop problem, Sinha said, "We are concerned about the call drop problem. The ministry has instructed all telecom service providers (TSPs) to expedite tower installation work to on war-footing."

"The other problem that our officials face during tower installation is the resistance of people over rumours being spread by certain sections about the bad effects of radiation emitted from cell towers. So officials have been directed to tackle these situations by taking residents into confidence," the minister said, adding that the government is trying its best to create a model situation to resolve the call drop issue at earliest.

"We have also allowed installation of mobile towers on government buildings after TSPs complained about the unavailability of space for installing cell towers and BTS to boost the connectivity," Sinha said.

While talking to the Millennium Post, Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said that the Prime Minister had given orders to resolve the call drop issue expeditiously.

"The PM has clearly said that if people face any problem in this regard, there should be measures in place to provide an instant solution of such issues. This is the time of technology, and technical solutions must be brought in to get such issues resolved," Sundararajan said, adding that the ministry has already started taking steps as per the PM's direction.

Reportedly, the PM faced call drop problem while travelling from Delhi airport to his official residence 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in Lutyens' Delhi. The PM spoke of his call drop episode during his monthly video-conferencing-based interaction with secretaries under the PRAGATI initiative after the Telecom Secretary shared details of complaints that the department gets from consumers, which included call drops.

Notably, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which is conducting a study on the impact of radio frequency radiation on humans, in its initial study has pointed about findings of specific biological changes in both humans and animals due to emissions.